Chocolate & Coffee Tasting — for the birds!

media release: How many cups of coffee do you drink a day? A week? How often do you reach for a bit of chocolate, or give it as an expression of love? Coffee and chocolate are fundamental to many of our lives, and now you can combine your love of coffee, chocolate AND birds by buying certified Smithsonian Bird Friendly® products! These products support biodiversity in tropical rainforests where many of Wisconsin’s long-distance migrants like the Golden-crowned Warbler winter!

Curious about how these certified coffee and chocolate products taste? Join us for a tasting event when you can taste-test and purchase some of these products for yourself or for a loved one (after all, Valentine’s Day is coming up)!

One day, two events

We are excited to host TWO events on January 29 that will showcase Bird Friendly Coffee and Chocolate products!

For the morning folks: 10 AM - 12 PM, Coffee & Chocolate Tasting at Yahara Chocolate and Tea House, 261 W Main St, Stoughton. Pop in at any time during those two hours to sample Bird Friendly Coffee and Chocolate, purchase a bag or bar to bring home, and learn more about why these products are important for bird conservation. Registration not required.

For the evening folks: 5-7 PM, Coffee & Chocolate Tasting at Old Firehouse Lounge, 364 E Main St, Stoughton. Join us right at 5pm to hear a short presentation about bird migration, why coffee and chocolate farms in the tropics are critical to bird conservation, and how you can help birds safely migrate back to Wisconsin in the spring. Taste test Bird Friendly chocolates, try a special coffee cocktail, and purchase products to take home. Registration requested here!

Attendees will:

learn what Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification entails,

taste test Barnwood's certified Smithsonian Bird Friendly® coffee,

taste test two different Smithsonian Bird Friendly® chocolate products created by US-based companies,

learn about how winter habitat and safe migration play a huge role in Wisconsin's bird populations, and

find out more about what we in Wisconsin can do to help birds during their migration.

Coffee and chocolate are produced in tropical regions of the world, where many of our long-distance migrant birds spend their winters. Mainstream coffee and chocolate production requires clear-cutting rainforest to make way for plantations, and support under 70 species of birds. Smithsonian Bird Friendly® products, certified by the Smithsonian Institute, requires more ethically and environmentally responsible practices, including growing coffee and chocolate in the rainforest understory. These areas support over 240 species of birds—plus the insects, mammals like monkeys and jaguars, that come with them.

This event is hosted by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and Barnwood Coffee Company.