Poor Farmer

Starbucks Union sees the angle missed by Company Chairman Howard Schultz in his memo to a handful of Starbucks senior officials. The Union says, Schultz is Worried About Starbucks Brand but Forgets to Mention Key Factor: Barista Discontent . I should add that Schultz takes quality coffee for granted. The leaked document is once again an evidence that the Chairman cares less about the people growing the bean. For Schultz, coffee is naturally brown. Starbucks is taking advantage of the farmers and the company's strategic planners have just gotten the green light to feel good about their "Corporate Social Responsibility" as they prepare the forecast for 2008 . Schultz is Worried About Starbucks Brand but Forgets to Mention Key Factor: Barista Discontent Starbucks Union February 24, 2007 Starbucks Gossip published an internal memo from Chairman Howard Schultz reflecting his concern about damage to the Starbucks brand. Schultz forgot to mention how he's imperiled the...

Reverend Billy , the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, and Not Buying It Band continue to pressure Starbucks to “let go Sidamo.” The following message is a call for action for the 4th week in a row. ---------- Sidamo Action & Fabulous Worship The corporate logo makes you lose your mind and thirst for somebody else's! The pixilated supermodels leave you dopey, forgetful, drifty. We are consumers now, more than we ever know. It's how the Shopocalypse happens: We Americans are trained not to ask where the products on the shelf come from…When Starbucks puts $26/lb elite coffee in front of us, from "Sidamo – The Birthplace of Coffee," we have starving Sidamo in our fingertips, we feel something might be wrong, but I've got my buzz, let me swipe my card and go. After trips to Africa, to Virginia, and to The Tombs, your humble pastor feels ready to preach. On March 4th the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir and Not Buying Band present a new gospel song, Sidamo, sung by the sopr...

Starbucks takes step towards recognizing Ethiopian rights to coffee names. Campaigners urge company to follow through. 21 February 2007 BOSTON — International agency Oxfam responded to a joint statement from coffee company Starbucks and the Government of Ethiopia in which Starbucks pledged not to oppose Ethiopian efforts to trademark its coffee names, Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Harar. While it is a good first step, Oxfam said Starbucks needed to go further and guarantee concrete support for the Ethiopian project, designed to benefit poor producers. "It's good to see Starbucks finally coming to the table, which they initially refused to do," said Seth Petchers, coffee lead for Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair campaign. "Starbucks now says it won't block the initiative, but what it hasn't said is how it will actively support Ethiopia's stated efforts to obtain trademarks for its coffees which will bring added benefits to poor farmers." After init...

Last week’s 4th East Africa Fine Coffee Association (EAFCA) conference was the latest venue for the ongoing dispute between Ethiopia and Starbucks. Though not on the agenda, this was probably the most widely discussed issue by conference attendees in Addis Ababa. Starbucks continued to reject Ethiopia’s request to acknowledge its ownership of its coffee marks. At the same time, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and several others announced that they accept Ethiopia’s position and are in the process of formalizing this acceptance. Starbucks senior officials led by two VPs, Dub Hay and Sandra Taylor, accompanied by Rosa Whitaker, founder of Rosa Whitaker Associates, a Washington-based lobbying group, maintained the company’s opposition to Ethiopia’s trademark efforts, meeting with senior Government officials and issuing press releases. Whitaker is a former senior US Government trade official under both Presidents Clinton and Bush who now uses her expertise on behalf of Starbucks and others....

Starbucks’ recent offerings to the East African coffee growers - and Ethiopians in particular - are the company’s responses to its fair trade critics, not to the trademark dispute. The company has not softened its stance against Ethiopia’s trademark initiative. The analysis by The Montley Fool explains the current development. Starbucks' Coffee Conundrum Alyce Lomax February 20, 2007 Starbucks has found itself in the midst of a quandary about its dealings with Ethiopia. After a high-profile trademark dispute, the coffee giant appears to be making concessions regarding a complex issue, one it had little choice but to address. Ethiopia, which produces high-quality coffee beans, has claimed that Starbucks has been seeking to block its attempts to trademark its coffee; it believes trademarks could get it better prices. Some claim that approximately $90 million in potential income to poor farmers has been lost because of the lack of trademarks, and that the prices Ethiopian farmers g...

Read the real story behind the Starbucks-Ethiopia joint press statement here Hot Coffee, Mild Voices Addis Fortune February 18, 2007 This week, Addis Abeba hosted the fourth annual African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition. The conference attracted exporters, roasters, buyers, and retailers specializing in specialty coffees from all over the world, providing an excellent mix of distinguished international and regional speakers presenting a wide range of topics, as well as providing opportunities for networking, connecting various stakeholders from around the world. The theme of the conference, appropriately named A Pilgrimage to the Birth Place of Coffee, included an African Coffee Safari to the coffee growing regions of Ethiopia. It is ironic though that this pilgrimage to the birthplace of coffee came at a time when Ethiopian coffee has taken center stage as a hot issue. The trademark standoff between Ethiopia and Starbucks has recently stirred up a bitter debate among stakeho...

Starbucks has not changed its position on Ethiopia’s trademark initiative. The company refused to sign the licensing agreement with Ethiopia. The country still wants to secure ownership of the coffee marks. The following joint statement is the outcome of Starbucks’ PR ploy. It is bizarre that the Ethiopian government signs on it. Coming up : a complete assessment of Starbucks' trip to Addis. --------- Ethiopia's Government and Starbucks Joint Statement ADDIS ABABA and SEATTLE, 18 Feb. 2007, The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and The Starbucks Coffee Company recognize their shared interests and responsibility in the sustainability and growth of the Ethiopian coffee sector. Strong partnerships between the Government, coffee companies, donors and other stakeholders are critical to the growth of the sector. The Government of Ethiopia and Starbucks have agreed to work together in their shared vision to increase Ethiopian farmer incomes and enhance the ...