Poor Farmer

On February 27, 2007, the International Development Committee of the UK Parliament House of Commons heard evidence from Starbucks senior officials and others on various public questions. (The transcript was posted here in four parts.) Last week, I forwarded follow-up questions and request for interviews to Starbucks, TransFair USA, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR), and others. Yesterday, after Part IV of the script was published, I received Starbucks’ agreement for an interview; therefore, I will present their views as soon as it is made available. I also expect a response from TransFair USA. Meanwhile, as Starbucks’ major competitor that has agreed to recognize Ethiopia’s ownership of her coffee marks, it would be curious to know what the GMCR would have responded to the questions raised by the Members of Parliament had the company been given the opportunity to present its case. So I asked GMCR about their Fair Trade credentials and the company’s relationship and future plans to...

CQ WEEKLY – VANTAGE POINT March 12, 2007 – Page 698 By Shawn Zeller, CQ Staff Coffee giant Starbucks prides itself on serving its product with a generous helping of good corporate citizenship. Among other things, it champions “fair trade” coffee harvested under environmentally friendly conditions and with better pay scales than producers can realize under most global trade accords. But last fall, the human rights group Oxfam International took direct aim at that image, publicizing the company’s dispute with the impoverished nation of over whether the East African country could trademark the names of its high-quality coffee beans. That dispute continues to percolate, but Starbucks is now fighting back with its own public relations push, scheduled to hit Washington this week. Starbucks senior vice president for corporate social responsibility, Sandra Taylor, and its senior vice president for coffee and global procurement, Dub Hay, will be meeting with ambassadors from African countries a...

Part IV of the transcript taken during the UK Members of Parliament questioning of Starbucks and others. This is the final part in the series. Preceding posts: Part I, " Parliament Grilled Starbucks over Ethiopia's Trademark Issue " Part II, " MPs Explore Starbucks' Fair Trade® Credentials " Part III, " MPs Stumble On The Hot Spot: How Fair Is Starbucks ? " Starbucks senior VP, Sandra Taylor did not respond to my request for an interview with follow-up questions. I approached the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) with similar questions. The company responded with detailed explanation of their Fair Trade practices and longstanding relationships with coffee farmers. GMCR is one the US companies that have recognized Ethiopia’s ownership of her coffee marks. Recently, GMCR signed a Letter of Intent with the Government of Ethiopia to support this country's efforts to bring better value to its coffee and better income to its coffee farmers and th...