What is it?
Certification scheme issued or operated by Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
Regulatory recognitionStrictest shade/biodiversity coffee standard; requires organic
Standards & schemes · Certification scheme
Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee
Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
Which version is current?
Profile version 2. Official information last verified 22 August 2026.
Who and what does it cover?
- Geography
- Latin America, Africa
- Sectors
- Coffee (cocoa pilot)
- Scope
- Farm
What does it require?
Science-based shade-coffee certification requiring organic certification plus strict canopy, tree-diversity and buffer criteria — the highest biodiversity bar among coffee schemes.
What it does not demonstrateThe scheme does not by itself prove that a particular product, site or organisation holds a current certificate; its scope and validity must be checked.
How is conformity assessed?
Third-party organic + shade audits
Grievance mechanismNot specified in this profile
Who makes the decision?
Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
Assurance arrangementThird-party organic + shade audits
Chain of custody
Segregated (identity-preserved)
ISEAL membershipNot specified in this profile
Conditional relationships
Claims it may support
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Legal context
Laws referencing it
No reviewed law references are published.
Dictionary
Dictionary concepts
No reviewed dictionary cross-link is published.
Version record
What has changed
- Version 2Initial profile published after recorded site-owner/editor review of the complete standards batch.
- Version 1Initial private editorial draft imported from the reviewed standards handover.
Last verified 22 August 2026. This neutral profile is informational and does not recommend, rank or endorse the standard.