Bird Friendly Coffee

What is BIRD FRIENDLY?

Bird FriendlyⓇ coffee is a certification program run by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and is considered the gold standard for environmentally friendly coffee certifications.

Coffee certified as Bird Friendly is 100% pure shade-grown and USDA Organic, but most importantly, it’s backed by a wealth of science supporting its biodiversity and sustainability claims.

Check out this one-pager and infographic which both illustrate the program’s benefits to biodiversity and further explain what Bird FriendlyⓇ coffee is doing for farmers and birds alike.

Partner with us!

At Brandywine Zoo, we are currently looking for local coffee shops or roasters who may be interested in partnering with our Zoo in selling Bird Friendly coffee.

Specifically, we’re looking at:

1) finding shops willing to roast and sell a Bird Friendly certified coffee (and get listed on the Smithsonian’s database of locations to purchase Bird Friendly coffee.

2) selling your wholesale, Bird Friendly coffee, or Bird Friendly coffee products, to the Brandywine Zoo so that we may then also resell your Bird Friendly coffee/products in our gift shop or concessions stand

3) Partner with the zoo on unique, co-branded Bird Friendly coffee products that could be both sold at the Zoo’s gift shop or concession stand while also generating donations to our own conservation programs.

Search the Database

Whether you’re a coffee-drinker, roaster, importer, or farm… Check out the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center’s database to search for where to buy Bird Friendly coffee near you.

Where to buy locally

Look for it at the Hockessin, DE and Glen Mills, PA Wild Birds Unlimited stores, plus specific varieties at Scout Cafe, Sprouts Farmers Market, Rock Bottom Roasters, Bellefonte Cafe, and Lucky Shot Coffee Co. You can also help bring bird-friendly coffee to more locations by requesting it!

Becoming a Bird Friendly certified roaster simply requires a licensing agreement with the Smithsonian.

In exchange for the use of the Bird Friendly logo, and a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, you will be required to:

Annual Reporting

Send a report to them semi-annually regarding the amount of Bird Friendly coffee you sell and its origins. You can view a list of Bird Friendly certified farms here.

$0.10 Royalty Fee

Remit a semi-annual check to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. This check is a royalty fee for the use of the bird friendly seal: $.10 per-pound on the green bean of coffees marketed as Bird Friendly. After 100,000 lbs, this fee reduces to $.05/lb. This royalty fee fuels the program and cutting-edge ornithological research and conservation out of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

CGL Certificate

Name the Smithsonian Institution as an additional insured in your CGL certificate.

You may already be buying Bird Friendly coffee and not taking advantage of it – in which case, let’s get you signed up!

Or, you may be buying it but you’re blending it with non-Bird Friendly beans (in which case you’d need to make an exclusively BF roast– blends are a no-go). If you’re not currently buying Bird Friendly beans, you can purchase them from a Bird Friendly certified importer–you can view the importer list here. If your importer of choice isn’t on the list, it’s very simple to sign them up as well.