Poor Farmer

"They [Starbucks] have done a lot of good things, most notably in East Timor, which has some resonance with Australians, but the fact that they displayed that attitude towards the Ethiopians indicates to me that it is not particularly coherent and that they have some way to go," - Andrew Hewett, Oxfam Australia executive director New Boss Out to Show Coffee Chain's Caring Side Julian Lee The Sydney Morning Daily April 12, 2007 STARBUCKS is to mount a drive to capture the hearts and minds of Australians as part of a wider campaign by its new managing director to "educate" consumers about the company's social values. Two months into the job Mark Ring says more could be done to play up the "commonality" of values he believes the company shares with Australians, namely a commitment to communities, the environment and fairness to its employees. "There is scepticism out there," he said. "We are an American company and a large one … so peop...

“The proposal of Ethiopian coffee farmers represents a much-needed step toward reducing the power imbalance in coffee production and ensures that farmers can truly enjoy the fruits of their own labor. If Starbucks is, as its CEO says, the “quintessential people-based business,” it will respect Ethiopian farmers and farmers around the world and end its exploitative practices.” - Michelle Castaneda Starbucks’ Policies Don’t Match Image By Michelle Castaneda Yale Daily News April 2, 2007 In response to increasing public demand for corporate social responsibility, Starbucks has undergone an image makeover. The company has recently publicized its commitment to supporting the communities that grow its coffee in Latin America, Asia and Africa, and has included one fair-trade coffee option in its menu (although I have not seen this coffee in the New Haven store for some time). Fair-trade organizations reduce the intermediary suppliers between the coffee growers and the retailers, allowing grow...