Poor Farmer

By Wondwossen Mezlekia The recent Starbucks Day of Action escalated the public dispute to another level, described by an activist as color orange or “severe” – red being “imminent” - in a scale of likelihood of public actions. Starbucks has not commented on this to date but there are indications suggesting that the company did feel the heat. Whether the giant would move from its stance remains an interesting story to follow. On December 16, many Starbucks customers including Ethiopian Americans, Fair Trade activists, and University students made it out to the busy streets in the US, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries. In addition, in what is seen as proof of Oxfam’s sophistication in campaign strategies and the organization’s intimacy with grassroots supporters, a video of the public action was released through YouTube on December 19th - another surprise. The three minutes video is both alarming and full of striking contrasts. It is amazing to see people ...

An interviewee on Starbucks Day of Action video said that this is an opportunity for Starbucks to “show they are what they say they are.” Is Starbucks missing this opportunity? More soon...

Global voices against the bitter tastes of coffee trade Here is an opportunity for you to share with friends what the Starbucks Vs Ethiopia public dispute is all about. Click here to watch the video on Oxfam's Starbucks Campaign. Check out the Starbucks Day of Action photo gallery here . For an independent analysis of the trademark dispute, please read this .

After a sleepless night on the eve of December 16, activists from the Ethiopian community, consumer groups, University of Washington students, and Fair Trade activists in Seattle took the international public campaign to the doorsteps of Starbucks coffee houses today. Starbucks Day of Action was full of surprises for Starbucks as something unexpected happened at where it hurts most - the customer base at its Capital City, Seattle. Similar surprises were held in several cities around the world. Read this release. More coming soon.

Countdown Policy Innovations ' article says it all: "If you consider yourself a good global citizen, Starbucks Coffee could be keeping you up at night—and it might not be the caffeine. " Sleepless from Seattle tells the stories of many in Settle and all over the globe on this eve of December 16. Tomorrow is Starbucks Day of Action day, when we will join thousands of activists across the globe to let the public know about the coffee trademark dispute. Starbucks employees and consumers need to know more about Ethiopia's demand to own its own coffee names. It does not really make sense that the country asks Starbucks' permission to be the owner of it's own name. But that is the question; you may be told one day that you do not own what you have always thought you do. We will do our best to let Starbucks employees know the facts buried underneath the company's press releases . Starbucks' CEO, Jim Donald told them that he can’t talk about the details b...

Starbucks Day of Action Special Edition Oxford professor, Douglas Holt blasts Starbucks’ argument as disingenuous and patronizing in this commentary on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the main daily newspaper in Seattle. "Perceptions that Starbucks works hard to benefit its poor coffee farmers have become a valuable part of the Starbucks brand for the company's customers. But when it comes to making the tough decisions, between caring and profit, does Starbucks really care? Starbucks claims that awarding trademarks would violate the economic interests of Ethiopian coffee growers. That is a disingenuous and patronizing argument. Starbucks opposes Ethiopia's efforts in order to shore up its market power, not out of paternal concern for Africans. It's not for Starbucks to deny Ethiopians the right to participate in the marketplace with the same legal rights that have allowed Starbucks to prosper. Trademarks would allow Sidamo, Harar, and Yirgacheffe to be managed by thei...

Starbucks responds to COFFEE POLITICS' call. The message posted under the comment section of Starbucks: Honor Your Commitments to Ethiopian Coffee Farmers by the writer who preferred to remain anonymous reads: Anonymous said... I recommend you visit www.starbucks.com to see what this company does do to support farmers in every country they buy from. All of this bad press is false. December 14, 2006 2:58:00 PM PST COFFEE POLITICS appreciates Starbucks' response and welcomes other comments. Let's discuss to let the Ethiopian coffee farmers benefit from owning the trademarks of their own coffee names.