Shade grown coffee is picked and ready to be processed at La Armonia Hermosa in Guatemala.
You might have seen the term “shade grown” thrown around in the specialty coffee industry – but what exactly does that mean? And perhaps more importantly, why does it matter? If a coffee is shade grown, then it was literally grown in the shade: with tall trees or even a forest overshadowing the coffee plants. Coffee is an understory plant in its native habitat, so growing under shade is closest to its original state. This lets the cherries develop more slowly, and slower cherry development leads to better flavor overall.
“Shade grown” describes just 24% of the coffee grown in the world, but it can make a big difference in flavor and environmental impact. There are diverging viewpoints; government agencies favor higher yields that can lead to prosperity for farmers. However, research has shown that intermediate shade (35-50%) leads to the highest yields. Additionally, generous amounts of research show that slow maturation of coffee cherries leads to higher quality coffee. The increased forest cover also leads to a wide array of biodiversity, particularly in bird populations. A 2014 study showed drastic improvements in ecosystem service, pest control, climate regulation, and nutrient cycling. Finally, shade lowers the average temperature experienced by the coffee plant – and lower temperatures lead to higher quality coffee, especially in our modern era of accelerated climate change.
Coffee grown in the shade leads to slower cherry growth, which yields to a better flavor overall.
Overall, moderate levels of shade only benefits the coffee plant. In the future, expect to see more producers converting to agroforestry operations with simple changes like adding shade trees. As always, we’ll seek out only the most delicious and impact generating coffees to share with you at Vienna Coffee Company to keep the adventure going.
