Poor Farmer

Ethiopian Fine Coffee Farmers Cooperative Unions and Exporters Call on Starbucks to Move Forward on Trademark Issue Press Release 3.14.2007 - 09:40am ET Light Years IP (CSRwire) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – March 14, 2007 - Ethiopian Fine Coffee Farmers Cooperative Unions and Exporters expressed their disappointment over the delays that Starbucks has caused in negotiations with Ethiopia and taking deliberate actions to divert attention from the trademark issue. Ethiopia’s fine coffee names trademark initiative has received international recognition as an innovative approach to bring added benefits to millions of poor farmers and help alleviate poverty. "When Starbucks announced that it will not block Ethiopia’s initiative and also increase its volume of purchase of Ethiopian coffee, we all welcomed it believing that it is a good first step and would open the door for negotiations with the company," said Hailu Gebre Hiwot, Chairman of The Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association. ...

Is This The PR Campaign Sequel? Starbucks has been opposing to Ethiopia’s plan to trademark its famous coffee names but always denied its doing so. They worked through the lobbying group, the National Coffee Association ( NCA ) who filled its opposition to Ethiopia’s trademark applications at USPTO in 2006. After the dispute was made public late last year, Starbucks' strategy has been to attempt to take the public attention away from the fundamental issue. The company issued numerous press releases with misleading information. Dub Hay, Starbucks senior VP, even said in the infamous YouTube video that Ethiopia’s attempt to trademark the coffee names was illegal. Starbucks is feeling the heat because consumers, angered by its actions against the poor farmers, are demanding that the company change its course and do the right thing to support the country dig itself out of poverty. The company continues to change tactics and not its positions. In February 2007, through an orchestrated...

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...

Part III of the transcript taken during the UK Members of Parliament questioning of Starbucks and others. Preceding posts : Part I, " Parliament Grilled Starbucks over Ethiopia's Trademark Issue " Part II, " MPs Explore Starbucks' Fair Trade® Credentials " ------------------ UNCORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF ORAL EVIDENCE To be published as HC 356-i House of COMMONS MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FAIR TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT Tuesday 27 February 2007 MS SANDRA TAYLOR, MR CLIFF BURROWS and MR MIKE BARRY Evidence heard in Public Questions 1 - 82 Oral Evidence Taken before the International Development Committee on Tuesday 27 February 2007 Members present Malcolm Bruce, in the Chair John Barrett John Battle John Bercow Richard Burden James Duddridge Ann McKechin Joan Ruddock Mr Marsha Singh Examination of Witnesses Witnesses: Ms Sandra Taylor, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Starbucks Coffee Company, Mr Cliff...

Cafédirect to go head to head with US cappuccino giant The Independent By Danny Fortson and Lauren Veevers Published: 11 March 2007 Selecting a coffee can be a complicated affair: American-owned outlets have introduced a generation of Britons to all sorts of often baffling sizes, types and milk-fat combinations. Now, though, all this is about to boil down to one key choice: would you like your coffee with ethical feelgood factor to go? Cafédirect, the UK's largest Fairtrade hot drinks company, is planning to roll out a network of city-centre bars, sparking coffee wars on British high streets. With the UK Fairtrade market soaring to the £200m mark, the company is seeking to challenge the omnipresent Starbucks, criticised last year for its alleged unfair bargaining with Ethiopian coffee farmers. Penny Newman, chief executive of Cafédirect, said: "We want to get our message across, and a coffee bar is a good way to do that." Part of the profits from the stores will be sent b...