Bird Friendly® Coffee
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center · Certified Roaster
Every bean we roast is Bird Friendly® certified. Not most. All of it.
Big Year Coffee is a Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) Bird Friendly® certified roaster in Seattle. Every coffee we sell is 100% Bird Friendly® certified, which means certified organic, grown under native forest canopy, and verified to protect habitat for the birds we name each origin after.
Verify the certification
You don’t have to take our word for it. Big Year Coffee is listed on the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s own directory of online Bird Friendly® coffee sources.
The lineup · Single origins
Every origin carries the bird that lives where the coffee grows.
Each coffee is named for its origin and paired with a representative bird native to that country. The bird is not decoration. It is how we connect what is in your cup to the forest habitat your purchase helps protect.
Light roast. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Ethiopia →
Medium & dark roast. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Guatemala →
Medium-light roast. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Mexico →
Light roast. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Nicaragua →
Medium roast. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Colombia →
Medium roast. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Costa Rica →
Swiss Water decaf. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Decaf Ethiopia →
Swiss Water decaf. Bird Friendly® and organic certified.
Shop Honduras Decaf →What the certification means
Bird Friendly® is the strictest shade standard in coffee. Here is what it requires.
- Organic first. Every Bird Friendly® coffee must already be certified organic before it can qualify. No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
- Real forest canopy. Farms must meet criteria for foliage cover, canopy height, and diversity of shade-tree species, not a single pruned shade tree.
- 100% certified beans. A coffee can only be sold as Bird Friendly® if it is made entirely from certified beans. No blending in uncertified coffee.
- Funds the science. Certification supports Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center research into the link between coffee farming and bird habitat.
Why it matters
Three-quarters of the world’s coffee is grown in ways that degrade forest habitat for wildlife. Bird Friendly® farms keep that forest standing, which is why migratory songbirds keep coming back to it.Common questions
Straight answers about Big Year and Bird Friendly® coffee.
Is Big Year Coffee Bird Friendly® certified?
Yes. Big Year Coffee is a Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) Bird Friendly® certified roaster based in Seattle, Washington. Every coffee we sell is made with 100% Bird Friendly® certified beans, which are also certified organic and shade-grown under native forest canopy.
What is SMBC Bird Friendly® certification?
It is a standard developed by ecologists at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center to ensure coffee grows in biodiverse, forest-like habitat that supports migratory and resident birds. It is widely considered the gold standard for shade-grown coffee and requires organic certification plus strict canopy and biodiversity criteria.
Which Bird Friendly® coffees does Big Year sell?
Single origins, each paired with a representative bird: Ethiopia (White-cheeked Turaco), Guatemala (Resplendent Quetzal), Mexico (Black-throated Magpie-Jay), Nicaragua (Long-tailed Manakin), Colombia (Santa Marta Antbird), Peru (Yellow-tufted Woodpecker), and Costa Rica, plus Swiss Water decaf from Ethiopia and Honduras.
Where can I buy Bird Friendly® coffee online?
Big Year Coffee sells 100% Bird Friendly® certified coffee online at bigyearcoffee.com, with shipping across the United States and Canada. We are also listed on the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center directory of Bird Friendly® coffee sources.
Buy Bird Friendly® coffee
Coffee that keeps the forest standing.
Order any of our single origins. Every bag is 100% Bird Friendly® certified, roasted to order in Seattle, and shipped across the US and Canada.
Shop all coffees →