Poor Farmer

Tue Feb 6, 2007 5:16am ET ADDIS ABABA, Feb 6 (Reuters) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR.O: Quote , Profile , Research ), a major U.S. coffee buyer, has agreed to a scheme that recognises three of Ethiopia's prized coffee brands, a senior Ethiopian government official said on Tuesday. Ethiopia, which prides itself as the birthplace of coffee, has been in dispute with Starbucks (SBUX.O: Quote , Profile , Research ), saying the U.S. coffee shop chain had tried to block Africa's biggest producer from trade marking its best-known beans: Sidamo and Harar. "This is an innovative project that will help consumers understand the unique characteristics and true value of Ethiopian coffee and help to improve the livelihood of millions in Ethiopia for whom coffee is a vital source of income," Getachew Mengistie, head of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, said. "We believe this type of commercial cooperation can create mutually beneficial relationships and become...

In another development, the National Coffee Association of U.S.A. (NCA) responded to Oxford Professor Douglas Holt’s essay Is Starbucks “Coffee That Cares?” A copy of the letter addressed to Douglas Holt is sent to Coffee Politics from Robert F. Nelson, President & CEO, National Coffee Association. To my knowledge, this is the first time the NCA joined the public discussion over the trademark dispute. This letter does not address the reasons why they opposed Ethiopia's trademark initiatives but we hope the NCA will soon come forth with firsthand information in the interest of the public's awareness. I am also curious to learn how the NCA can represent farmers' interests when opposing their trade strategies. Full text of the NCA letter is posted below. If you are new, start from here . ---------------- February 5, 2007 Douglas Holt Oxford Said Business School Park End Street Oxford, OX1 1HP United Kingdom Email: doug.holt@sbs.ox.ac.uk Dear Professor Holt: I read wi...