Fair Trade Coffee Starbucks Controversy

Whilst starbucks has slowly bought more certified fair trade coffee it represents only a very small percentage of their total coffee 3 7.

Fair trade coffee starbucks controversy. Fair trade purchases peaked in 2014 at 8 6 of coffee. We are committed to buying 100 percent ethically sourced coffee in partnership with conservation international. Starbucks show me the money this is a little coffee tale about fudging the truth with statistics. Or maybe it s that the largest specialty coffee company in the world simply made a little inadvertent mistake.

It s is the largest coffee chain in the entire world. For years despite calls to commit to fair trade starbucks commitment lagged. Starbucks rarely offers certified fair trade coffee as. Good readers have certainly heard of fair trade and probably purchase a least occasionally fair trade coffee or chocolate or such.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. Starbucks is dedicated to helping farmers overcome the challenges facing coffee communities. 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. As a 100 fair.

You be the judge. Starbucks is known for many great things. 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. Making coffee the world s first sustainable product to improve the lives of at least 1 million people in coffee communities around the world.

Specifically oxfam stated that starbucks was depriving ethiopian farmers of 88 million a year 55 by depriving the ethiopian government of. 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. Instead starbucks launched their own corporate social responsibility csr code c a f e. For two decades advocates have pressured the world s biggest coffee shop chain to clean up their supply chains.