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Starbucks: Honor Your Commitments to Ethiopian Coffee Farmers


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Special Edition of COFFEE POLITICS

On December 16, join thousands of activists around the world who are standing by Ethiopian coffee farmers and asking Starbucks to honor its commitments.

Many Starbucks employees have asked to know more about the campaign. We need your help to let them know the facts. Talk to your local Starbucks baristas (employees) about your support for Ethiopia's trademark initiative. Ask them to communicate back to Starbucks headquarters about your conversation.

What you'll need: Your voice.

Starbucks has a team of lawyers to protect its name; the Ethiopian coffee farmer has you. Amplify the voices of Ethiopian farmers by speaking to Starbucks directly.

What you'll do:

1. Download the Starbucks Day of Action Toolkit.

2. Go into your local Starbucks store, and ask the baristas (employees) for a cup of Ethiopian coffee.

3. Say: "I am here to show support for Ethiopia’s initiative to trademark its coffee names."

4. Hand the baristas the signed Myth/Fact Sheet from the Starbucks Day of Action Toolkit. Let them know that you appreciate their time. Ask them to communicate back to Starbucks headquarters about your conversation.

5. If the baristas agree with you and support Ethiopia in this initiative, encourage them to voice their opinion to Starbucks corporate headquarters.

6. For more tips and advice on how to talk to your baristas, contact Oxfam America.

Comments

  1. AnonymousThu Dec 14, 02:58:00 PM PST

    I recommend you visit www.starbucks.com to see what this company does do to support farmers in every country they buy from. All of this bad press is false.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousThu Dec 14, 04:07:00 PM PST

    The question is about signing the licensing agreement; not about whether the co is good or bad.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mama ShaynaFri Dec 15, 10:29:00 AM PST

    Starbucks has taken some good steps, but it can do better. Recognizing Ethiopia’s rights to
    its coffee names would complement these efforts.
    Starbucks has made positive contributions to coffee-growing communities, but now that Ethiopia is proposing a long-term poverty solution, the company balks. Ethiopia’s project is not a quick fix, or a request for charity. It is a step toward righting a flawed trading system for the 15 million Ethiopians who depend on coffee to feed their families, and pay for their education and health care. As a company that prides itself on its work on behalf of coffee
    farmers, Starbucks should welcome Ethiopia’s efforts to help its farmers get a greater share of the value their coffee commands on the market.

    ReplyDelete

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