Coffee retailer Jazzman’s Café is launching what may be the ultimate in sustainable coffee. "Bird Friendly coffee" is the first African coffee to be doubly certified in sustainability for its efforts to preserve both forests and bird habitat.

Jazzman’s provides an array of coffee blends using beans harvested from farming cooperatives. The Bird Friendly beans are harvested from an African co-op of 118 small farms. All farms use sustainable agriculture practices and business that benefits local communities and economies.

Sodexo’s Retail Brand Group operates Jazzman’s Café and debuted the new brand of coffee at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Jazzman’s will begin selling the Bird Friendly brand throughout its 200 stores this month.

The SMBC and the National Zoological Park created the Bird Friendly certification in the late 1990s to encourage changes in the way coffee was farmed in sensitive regions like Africa, where migratory bird habitats were being destroyed at rapid rates. To be certified as a Bird Friendly coffee producer, Jazzman's and Sodexo had to grow their beans without using pesticides. They also had to provide shade trees and vegetation to support migratory birds and donate 25 cents per pound to support SMBC research and other conservation programs. They are also prohibited from clear-cutting forests to provide growing land.

Scientists work to assist farmers in developing more sustainable and habitat-protecting methods. The shaded farms provide food sources like insects and pollen for the migrating birds, as well as for other indigenous animals. Trees also feed nutrients into the soil and help reduce the soil available for weeds to colonize. Additionally, they support other industries by providing fruit, firewood, lumber and medical resources.