Poor Farmer

Countdown Policy Innovations ' article says it all: "If you consider yourself a good global citizen, Starbucks Coffee could be keeping you up at night—and it might not be the caffeine. " Sleepless from Seattle tells the stories of many in Settle and all over the globe on this eve of December 16. Tomorrow is Starbucks Day of Action day, when we will join thousands of activists across the globe to let the public know about the coffee trademark dispute. Starbucks employees and consumers need to know more about Ethiopia's demand to own its own coffee names. It does not really make sense that the country asks Starbucks' permission to be the owner of it's own name. But that is the question; you may be told one day that you do not own what you have always thought you do. We will do our best to let Starbucks employees know the facts buried underneath the company's press releases . Starbucks' CEO, Jim Donald told them that he can’t talk about the details b...

Starbucks Day of Action Special Edition Oxford professor, Douglas Holt blasts Starbucks’ argument as disingenuous and patronizing in this commentary on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the main daily newspaper in Seattle. "Perceptions that Starbucks works hard to benefit its poor coffee farmers have become a valuable part of the Starbucks brand for the company's customers. But when it comes to making the tough decisions, between caring and profit, does Starbucks really care? Starbucks claims that awarding trademarks would violate the economic interests of Ethiopian coffee growers. That is a disingenuous and patronizing argument. Starbucks opposes Ethiopia's efforts in order to shore up its market power, not out of paternal concern for Africans. It's not for Starbucks to deny Ethiopians the right to participate in the marketplace with the same legal rights that have allowed Starbucks to prosper. Trademarks would allow Sidamo, Harar, and Yirgacheffe to be managed by thei...