Poor Farmer

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Starbucks said on Wednesday it remained in talks with the Ethiopian government to settle a dispute over the trademarking of the nation's coffee beans. "We had two meetings with the Ethiopian government and we are now in fruitful discussions with them," said Starbucks Chief Executive Jim Donald. "This is a complex issue." Starbucks advocates a regional certification program to assure the quality and origin of the coffee beans. It has also called for a transparent system that shows the money is going back to impoverished farmers. Though Starbucks said last month that it would not oppose Ethiopia's efforts to trademark its Sidamo and Harar coffees, for instance, coffee farmers and exporters last week accused the company of using delaying tactics. In theory, trademark agreements would bolster incomes for Ethiopia's farmers by allowing the country to negotiate purchasing conditions for coffee roasters or retailers who want to use the names...

By Associated Press Mar 21, 2007 SEATTLE (AP) - Starbucks Corp. doesn't plan to slow its aggressive growth, despite recently publicized worries about weakening the coffeehouse titan's brand, Chairman Howard Schultz told investors Wednesday. Starbucks, which has more than 13,500 stores worldwide, plans to add 10,000 more on its way to doubling in size over the next four to five years, Schultz announced at the company's annual shareholders meeting. Company leaders reiterated financial targets for 2007 and reinforced a long-term commitment to 40,000 stores worldwide, half of them outside the U.S. Wednesday's meeting also featured two special appearances: Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who praised Starbucks' efforts to help coffee farmers, and former Beatle Paul McCartney, who was introduced as the first artist signed to Starbucks' new record label. Schultz, who lamented a nearly 10 percent slide in the company's stock in the past year, asked shareholders not to...