Arabica coffee is historically grown exclusively under shade cover. In the last 40 years, shade trees have been systematic (and sometimes politically) eliminated in many coffee-growing areas such as in Colombia where the majority of our members are located. The pressence of native hardwood trees is extremely important in a coffee plot for so many reasons:

1. Their deep roots hold soil firmly in place, prevent erosion and landslides in the steep mountains where coffee generally grows and prevents topsoil and fertilizer from being washed away in heavy rains.
2. Their roots also retain water, mitigating the effects of dry periods.
3. The shade they produce help to create natual mulch, controling the propogation of grasses and other weeds, eliminating the need for toxic herbicide.
4. The organic material they drop provides micro and macro nutrients that help the coffee trees produce more and a more complex cup, as well as reducing or eliminating the fertilizer expense.
5. The canopy trees create over the coffee helps stabilize the temperature and reduce average temperature, mimicking the conditions of higher elevation, improving cup quality in many cases.
6. They mitigate agriculture's disruption of native bird and animal scpecies' habitat.
7. Biodiversity of flora, fauna, and the microorganisms that accompany them mitigate the spread of invasive plagues like broca beatles and coffee rust (roya).

For these reasons and others, we insist on working exclusively with farms implementing shaded cultivation or that are committed to recuperating it. Many farmers are unaware that coffee can be grown under shade, so we have taken on the task of re-educating them of it's benefits and the necessity of recuperating it. We are planting native shade trees and certain short-term nitrogen-fixers that we know behave well with coffee, including Carbonero/Piñón, Guamo, Nogal Cafetero (walnut relative), and Tephrosia.

Seminars,
surveys,
1-to-1 implementation,
ongoing support for farmers

Here are some pain points and their solutions:

• Inconsistent fermentation :: pH meter or fermaestro so they can measure actual fermentation and not just guess based on time, as conditions are never consistent
• Too hot drying that can cause premature stale/baggy flavors :: Thermometer-Hygrometer to monitor temperature and relative humidity in the drying area. Most people think heat dries coffee. Not true. Real hot and humid is the WORST for coffee and drying. If established parameters are respected, ideal drying can be achieved without extending it's duration and without risking microbial activity
• Inconsistent drying :: Many drying beds are made of flat concrete, or worse yet, wood. These surfaces do not allow moisture to escape and it can collect beneath the bottom layer of beans. Spreading a plastic mesh over the drying surface prevents beans from direct contact with it and allows moisture to escape from below.
• Incorrect moisture content :: When a farmer brings parchment from their farm to the town where it is sold, very often the moisture content is not between 10.5-12.5% (we require 10.5-11.5%). If it is too high, it can't be taken back to the farm because of cost, and any measures to reduce it in town can easily destroy it's quality. If it's too low, nothing can be done. We can't get a $300 moisture meter for each farm, but a simple digital scale and a cup calculated density can get them a precise enough moisture reading.

Education, infrastructure, and a little hand-holding