In early 1997, Songbird Foundation founder Danny O'Keefe read an article on how the destruction of tropical forest cover in Latin America was decimating songbird habitat. Coffee that had formerly been cultivated under forest canopy was now being farmed in full sun using hybrids developed to create greater yields and dependent on increasing amounts of chemicals. The forest was being systematically cut down to grow more of this type of coffee and the migratory and resident bird populations were plummeting. Later that night O'Keefe had a lucid dream in which the dawn chorus of spring songbirds was singing the day awake. As he awakened he realized it was still the dark of night and no birds were singing. He took it as an omen and began to follow the thread of discovery that led to the founding of the Songbird Foundation. If coffee cultivation, using the new sun-grown hybrids, was the problem then maybe coffee drinking was the answer. Changing the awareness of coffee drinkers became the focus of Songbird's efforts. Through several public awareness campaigns, working in coalition with other organizations, the public began to realize that their cup of coffee could "make a world of difference" to the birds as well as to the farmers who grow their coffee and whose lives were often marginalized by the vicissitudes of the coffee industry. In 2001 the Songbird Foundation and other organizations produced the Seattle Sustainable Coffee Campaign using billboards, bus signs, earned media and a wonderful benefit concert featuring Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Keb Mo who were introduced by Northwest writing legend Tom Robbins. The event created an enormous "buzz" around the issues and the proceeds from the concert allowed the Songbird Foundation to continue its awareness campaign which, in a study done in 2003 showed that coffee-drinking habits had changed significally in the Greater Seattle Area. As there were several nationally prominent coffee companies headquartered in Seattle the effect was felt well beyond the Northwest. The Songbird Foundation continues its campaign to promote the awareness of sustainably grown coffee with both the public and with the companies that produce our coffee. Utilizing sustainable strategies in coffee production creates better coffee and better habitat, creating benefits for all. We have both opportunity and responsibility to help the Earth and all who depend on her with every purchase that we make.

View our portfolio on sustainably produced coffee in Guatamala. You donation can be rewarded with beautiful bird art prints.