Grandfather Mountain, Nature on a Whole Different Level

BIRD-FRIENDLY COFFEE AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN

coffeeGrandfather Mountain now serves its own house blend of coffee, locally roasted from organic, shade-grown beans. Now when you order a cup of regular (caffeinated) coffee in Grandfather's restaurant or fudge shop, you are being served the exclusive Grandfather Mountain Blend of bird-friendly coffee.

The idea for a house blend started with the desire to serve a really good cup of coffee, but conversation turned into action when Grandfather’s staff got involved in the North Carolina Bird Trail program and became educated about the impact coffee growers have on bird habitat.

shade & sunWhen the birds of our region fly south for the winter, they migrate to the coffee plantations of Central and South America. Coffee bushes are mid-story shrubs that grow in the shade of the high tree canopy. Those trees help maintain soil and water quality, provide fruit, nuts and other food sources, offer shelter, and promote the balanced ecosystems that the migratory birds need to thrive.

In the early 1970s, to increase the yield of coffee beans per acre, growers began developing coffee varieties that grow in full sun. They starting clear-cutting the forest, destroying bird habitat and creating "monocultures" that require heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

The result has been a 20 percent decline in migratory bird populations over the last 10 years. The "poster bird" for the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is the Baltimore Oriole, but of the species that summer at Grandfather Mountain the one most impacted by loss of habitat is the ruby-throated hummingbird.

bald guyBecause Grandfather Mountain wants to give growers an economic incentive to preserve bird habitat, the company teamed up with Bald Guy Brew in Boone to develop its own house blend of bird-friendly coffee.

Grandfather Mountain Blend starts with SMBC certified bird-friendly Peruvian beans that are then blended with organic beans from Indonesia and Africa. All were acquired from cooperatives with high traceability to insure that the farmers are getting a fair price for their coffee.

"This coffee is fabulous," said restaurant regular Jane Galloway of Linville. "There is no aftertaste, no bitterness. It is not mild but certainly not strong. It matches my idea of what a good cup of coffee should be. And we all agree that being bird-friendly is a really good thing."

In addition to being served in Grandfather’s restaurant and fudge shop, Grandfather Mountain Blend is available by the pound from the attraction's gift shop and on-line from Bald Guy Brew. A pound of whole bean coffee sells for $12.95 and delivers all the satisfaction a cup can hold.

Grandfather Mountain is a scenic travel attraction and nature preserve located near Linville, NC on US Highway 221, one mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. For more information phone 800-468-7325 or plan a trip at www.grandfather.com.

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