Fair Trade Coffee Starbucks Controversy

Starbucks rarely offers certified fair trade coffee as.

Fair trade coffee starbucks controversy.

For years despite calls to commit to fair trade starbucks commitment lagged. Starbucks show me the money this is a little coffee tale about fudging the truth with statistics. You be the judge. Or maybe it s that the largest specialty coffee company in the world simply made a little inadvertent mistake.

Whilst starbucks has slowly bought more certified fair trade coffee it represents only a very small percentage of their total coffee 3 7. It s regularly named to best lists by both fortune and forbes thanks to the way they treat their employees the benefits they offer and the way they run their business of course it s also known for its popular seasonal lattes who can forget the pumpkin spice latte and sugary frappuccinos. Good readers have certainly heard of fair trade and probably purchase a least occasionally fair trade coffee or chocolate or such. Starbucks is dedicated to helping farmers overcome the challenges facing coffee communities.

It s is the largest coffee chain in the entire world. The starbucks fair trade controversy the past couple of years the fair trade coffee movement has started to come in for its share of criticism. Fair trade purchases peaked in 2014 at 8 6 of coffee. For two decades advocates have pressured the world s biggest coffee shop chain to clean up their supply chains.

The fair trade controversy you didn t know about. Starbucks is known for many great things. Specifically oxfam stated that starbucks was depriving ethiopian farmers of 88 million a year 55 by depriving the ethiopian government of. For related articles and more information please visit oca s protest starbucks page and our all about organics page and our millions against monsanto page.

As people learn more about the long term crisis in coffee pricing they are wanting to know what their favorite coffee company is paying its farmers. It s the largest coffee chain in the world with 20 100 stores and annual sales of 14 9 billion ceo howard schultz is worth 1 6 billion. We are committed to buying 100 percent ethically sourced coffee in partnership with conservation international. Instead starbucks launched their own corporate social responsibility csr code c a f e.

Fair trade oxfam and ethiopian coffee farmers in october 2006 the british ngo oxfam accused starbucks of financially wounding ethiopian coffee farmers by violating fairtrade agreements. Fair trade demands that buyers purchase their coffee for a minimum set cost of 1 20 per pound or 1 41 per pound if it s organic in order for them to properly maintain their land and facilities. Starbucks says the 34 000 kilograms about 75 000 pounds of guatemalan and nicaraguan coffee it purchased was guaranteed by the vendors to be certified fair trade meaning it offered the coffee. Starbucks pays that amount but through a series of what the oca calls middlemen people who buy from the farmers and sell the coffee to the.