Our flagship project in Chiapas

Starbucks Shade Grown Mexico coffee, purchased through CI’s Conservation Coffee™ program, comes exclusively from farms surrounding the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots.

More than 300 species of birds, including the endangered Queztal, can be found in the reserve – which amounts to about 3% of all known bird species in the world. El Triunfo is also home to 45 types of reptiles and 30 species of mammals, many of which are unique to this area. The Reserve spans four climate zones and is the largest continuous cloud forest in Mesoamerica.

The Quetzal, from Chiapas Mexico, is one of the primary benefactors of shade grown coffee.

The conservation efforts among the farmers living and growing coffee on the Reserve are essential to its preservation. Improvements in small-scale coffee production can help ensure the long-term economic viability of the farmers.

Starbucks and CI have developed a similar conservation projects in Colombia and Peru. Future plans are to expand the Conservation Coffee™ program to other areas where biodiversity is under severe threat, including Panama and Costa Rica.