Poor Farmer

Oxfam America Press Release 29 January 2007 For more information, contact:Helen DaSilva, Press Officer 617-728-2409 617-331-2984 (mobile) hdasilva@oxfamamerica.org BOSTON -- Today's announcement that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has agreed to work closely with Ethiopia to raise the value that Ethiopian farmers receive from their coffees is a welcome first step that other companies should follow, says international agency Oxfam. The formal Letter of Intent between Green Mountain -- a major coffee roaster and distributor in the US -- and Ethiopia "is an initiative made in good faith between a major company, the government, and a national stakeholder group that includes farmer cooperatives," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "Developing countries need greater control over their own agricultural markets in order to negotiate a fair return from the quality and reputation of their products. Coffee companies that expect to thrive in a global market ...

Starbucks has just hired a lobbying firm, the Rosa Whitaker Group , to advance the company’s interests internationally, most particularly in Africa. Rosa Whitaker was the Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa under both Presidents Clinton and Bush Administrations before she left to form her lobbying group in 2002. For now, Ethiopia is the primary focus of Starbucks, thus the need for a well connected new lobbying firm. Rosa Whitaker will attend the 4th African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition, 15th-17th February, 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on behalf of Starbucks. More to come soon.