Featured Image Caption: Tree with Small Green and Red Berries
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Precious Arabica coffee is grown in open fields or planted beneath other, taller trees or crops, using their foliage as natural shade from the scorching sun. This growing method, called “shade farming,” produces a more pronounced and rich cup of coffee, while also preserving forests and soil fertility in coffee-growing regions.
Coffee is a genetically shade-loving crop: when it was not yet cultivated, it was entirely shaded.
In their native Ethiopia, coffee trees grew on mountain slopes under the canopy of natural forest vegetation: dense tropical jungle protected them from the sun and drought, and a thick layer of fallen leaves nourished the soil and created conditions for microorganisms to saturate it with oxygen and nitrogen. When coffee reached new regions, local farmers sometimes tried growing it in open spaces, as this seemed convenient. However, the trees often became diseased and died from nighttime temperature drops, sunburn, lack of moisture, or soil depletion. Until the mid-20th century, all plantations were located in the shade of specially planted companion plants: these allowed in diffused sunlight, created the necessary microclimate, and provided natural mulch.
Sun grown – coffee grown in the sun
In the 1960s and 1970s, varieties emerged that were distinguished by their resistance to direct sunlight and high yields, although the berries were generally smaller.
Many farmers cut down shade-producing plants and gradually switched to “sun-friendly” varieties. This change has affected approximately 60% of farms worldwide since 1970. On large plantations, the sun was no longer a barrier for other trees, making it possible not only to plant coffee at much higher densities but also to harvest the crop mechanically. Sun-friendly cultivation also required additional costs: deprived of the natural mulch of fallen leaves, the trees became dependent on fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
Soil erosion and depletion accelerated, requiring significant restoration investments that most farmers simply couldn’t afford. Instead of reclaiming land for plantations, new tracts of tropical forest were cleared, which harmed the entire ecosystem. This massive loss of trees led to a 20% decline in migratory bird populations due to habitat loss.
Shade grown – shade coffee
Only small farms with limited modern technology, often too poor to afford mechanization and chemical fertilizers, have preserved their shade trees. Shade farming involves both preserving existing forest plantations and planting new trees that mimic forest structure and create better conditions for birds. Researchers from Cornell University (New York, USA) estimate that a single bird can protect 10-30 kg of coffee per hectare from pests annually. In addition to their important role in ecosystem restoration, birds can also replace pesticides and save farmers money.
The third coffee wave and the emergence of specialty coffee culture have led to a more careful approach to bean production methods and an ethical approach to the environment. Demand for organic products has increased, and many farmers have begun to return to shade farming.
Shadow coffee in the coffee industry
Traditionally, shade cultivation is used in Mexico and Nicaragua, and some Colombian Arabica is also harvested from plantations sheltered by banana palms or pine trees.
Ecuadorian growers practice planting spices and spreading walnuts in the same plots as coffee trees. This helps provide protection from the sun and morning and evening temperature fluctuations, and also adds complexity and interest to the cup’s flavor.
All Guatemalan coffee grows in the shade from birth: even the coffee “nurseries” are plantations of tiny plants, carefully sheltered by the shade of the evergreen grevillea shrub.
In Ethiopia, 95% of the coffee trees harvested grow either wild in natural conditions in the lower canopy of mountain forests or are interplanted with fruit crops. The country does have large, well-equipped farms with their own warehouses and processing facilities, but over 90% of all Arabica is grown on tiny farms of 0.5-1.5 hectares, with all processing done by hand. While coffee yields suffer somewhat, manual harvesting and careful processing, as well as exclusively organic soil nutrition, are driving a steady increase in demand for Ethiopian specialty coffee.
Benefits of Shade Coffee
The flavor of a cup is determined by many factors: terroir, soil composition, planting altitude, humidity, and sunlight exposure. Shade cultivation, in one way or another, alters all of these parameters, influencing the final result.
- Coffee beans ripen more slowly in the shade than in the sun, and the berries accumulate more sugar and components that affect the taste of the cup.
- Shady trees create comfortable conditions for coffee plantings: there are no temperature fluctuations, and humidity remains optimal.
- The need for fertilizers and herbicides is reduced, which saves farmers money, which is especially important for poor regions.
- The soil receives organic nutrition from fallen leaves, and a powerful humus layer develops, rich in nitrogen and microelements.
- Reduced moisture evaporation occurs as it is retained in the soil. There is no risk of erosion or soil depletion.
- A farmer can earn additional income by growing fruit trees, nuts, and spices as shade crops.
- Planting new trees provides habitat for birds, increasing their influence on regulating insect numbers and maintaining the balance of the tropical ecosystem as a whole.
Shade-grown coffee is gaining additional value in the specialty market, in part due to the trend toward environmental sustainability. Experts predict continued growth in shade-grown coffee production, and in the future, this method may once again become the primary method.
By Nicole Botello
– the author and editor at Tiny Footprint Coffee, is a devoted barista with a deep love for all things coffee. Her journey began back in college, where a simple cup sparked a lifelong passion. Today, she shares her expertise in brewing methods, coffee culture, and the art of the perfect latte. When she’s not surrounded by the aroma of freshly ground beans, you’ll likely find her reading, exploring new places, or connecting with fellow coffee lovers to grow a vibrant coffee community.
Member since May, 2021
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