Poor Farmer

Breaking its silence , the government disclosed details of Starbucks CEO Jim Donald’s Ethiopia visit to the public. The Embassy in Washington D.C., also known for its antiquated business styles even at Ethiopia’s standards, posted the press release on its website today. As a result, we now know that the CEO and his team of executives have not succeeded in their attempts to influence the authorities either. As expected, Starbucks’ executives have expressed their “willingness to help the poor farmers and to promote Ethiopian fine coffees.” It is not clear, however, if the executives have visited the farmers’ living conditions. The press release reads, “Both parties agreed to cooperate and work together in the protection and use of the Intellectual Property Rights of Ethiopia’s specialty coffee names and for Starbucks to promote high quality Ethiopian coffees produced under the umbrella of C.A.F.E (Coffee and Farmer Equity) practices.” I am not a fan of the C.A.F.E. practices because the...

Starbucks CEO Meets with Ethiopia Over Ownership of Coffee Names (Pic credit: scidev.net) To: National Desk Contact: Helen DaSilva 617-728-2409 or 617-331-2984, or Laura Rusu 202-496-3620 or 202-459-3739, both of Oxfam America WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- International aid agency Oxfam welcomed Tuesday's meeting between Starbucks CEO Jim Donald and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, but urged the international coffee giant to stop dragging its feet before the holidays, and instead recognize Ethiopia's ownership of its coffee names and the enormous benefits that ownership could bring to the 15 million poor Ethiopians who depend on coffee for their livelihood. "It's significant that after a year of trying to engage Starbucks on trademarks, the company finally sat down to discuss the issue directly with Ethiopia," said Seth Petchers, Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair campaign coffee lead. "Starbucks must now follow up with immediate action to recogn...