Starbucks Serves up its First Fairtrade Lattes and Cappuccinos Across the UK and Ireland
Starbucks Serves up its First Fairtrade Lattes and Cappuccinos Across the UK and Ireland
Fairtrade Certified coffee market set to increase by 18% in the UK & Ireland. Tens of thousands of coffee farmers to benefit
Visit www.starbucks.com/proudtosupportfairtrade for more information.
London – 2nd September 2009 - Starbucks stores in the UK and Ireland (NASDAQ: SBUX) today began serving 100% Fairtrade Certified and Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ verified coffee in all of their espresso-based beverages. Every one of the two million visitors per week can walk away with a Fairtrade Certified Cappuccino, Latte or Mocha and help support small-scale farmers and their communities in developing countries around the world.
This move is expected to increase the amount of Fairtrade Certified coffee sold in the UK and Ireland by 18% this year. Moreover, Starbucks commitment to continuing a long-term relationship with Fairtrade and small-scale coffee growers is projected to generate a Fairtrade premium of more than £350,000 from sales in the UK and Ireland alone in the coming year, for farmers to invest in community projects.
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation UK, said, “Starbucks is really setting the pace for the coffee industry by using its global size for good. This move will expand the reach of Fairtrade and deepen its impact on tens of thousands of farmers who are at the very heart of the Fairtrade system. Farmers need Fairtrade now more than ever, and even though these are difficult economic times, people across the country are staying loyal to their ethical values and to Fairtrade. From today they can enjoy Fairtrade values over their favourite Starbucks coffee.”
Starbucks is already the world’s largest purchaser of Fairtrade coffee, and the switch to Fairtrade Certified espresso in the UK will help contribute to a total global annual payment to small-scale coffee farmers estimated at £2,500,000.
“Starbucks has always been committed to ethical sourcing and this is a milestone in our partnership with Fairtrade which spans over a decade,” said Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director, Starbucks UK & Ireland.
“Using 100 % Fairtrade Certified coffee for Starbucks espresso is just one aspect of our work together. We are also sharing our collective knowledge and best practices in responsible sourcing to further improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers as well as to ensure the availability of the highest quality coffee. From farm inspections through to programmes to help farmers improve coffee quality and environmental sustainability, as well as loan initiatives – the work is extensive and certainly doesn’t begin and end with the FAIRTRADE Mark on our cups,” continued Willson-Rymer.
Starbucks® Fairtrade Certified Espresso Roast is sourced largely from Latin America, specifically across Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru, and it will be these farming communities who benefit most immediately, with other producers set to follow.
Carlos Vargas Leiton, Financial Manager of Coopetarrazú, an organisation of 2,600 farmers in Costa Rica, including 457 women who are the sole providers for their families said, “We have a long and successful history of trading with Starbucks and welcome its increased collaboration with Fairtrade. We will benefit from guaranteed minimum prices and Fairtrade premiums so we can plan for the future with more confidence. We will invest in environmental and social programmes to improve the wellbeing of our members and communities, such as health and education initiatives to benefit women and farm workers, with a direct impact on more than 50,000 people.”
The collaboration between Starbucks and Fairtrade organisations has been welcomed by the UK Government’s Department for International Development.
Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary, said, “Shoppers in the UK are showing an increasing appetite for Fairtrade – with 7 in 10 households purchasing Fairtrade products – so we’re delighted that this move will give more consumers even more choice every day.
Tens of thousands of farmers will benefit from this commitment, which shows the power of businesses, both big and small, to contribute to sustainable community development through trade, and have a major impact on the lives of poor people.”
The Fairtrade Foundation UK and Fairtrade Mark Ireland are members of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) which joins Conservation International (CI) and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) as partners in the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to ethical sourcing.
- In addition to increased purchases, Starbucks, FLO, CI and AWF will work with Fairtrade farmers to enhance coffee quality and profitability through improved environmental and agricultural practices, and to specifically expand the number of small-scale farmers producing crops under the ethical coffee buying guidelines for Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ and the Fairtrade Certified system.
- Starbucks and Fairtrade contribute to sustainable development for marginalised producers, workers and their communities. Moreover, Fairtrade contributes to sustainable changes in trade by empowering organised farmers groups.
- Integral to the success of this effort are the Starbucks Farmer Support Centers in Costa Rica and Rwanda, as well as the current investments Starbucks is making in programmes such as Root Capital, Calvert Fund and Verde Ventures that provide farmers access to credit.
For more information about Starbucks and Fairtrade in the UK and Ireland please visit www.starbucks.com/proudtosupportfairtrade
ENDS
For additional information, including images and B-roll please contact:
Edelman UK Starbucks Press Office Fairtrade Foundation
Irene Kyme Faith Mall
020 3047 2372 020 8834 5164 020 7440 8597
07766 504 947
Irene.kyme@edelman.com ukpressoffice@starbucks.com media@fairtrade.org.uk
About Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ and Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices
Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ is Starbucks commitment to doing business responsibly. Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices—or C.A.F.E. Practices—are Starbucks ethical coffee sourcing guidelines under Starbucks™ Shared Planet™. C.A.F.E. Practices is a comprehensive, industry-leading program that addresses the environmental, social and economic transparency issues that are critical to the financial stability and long-term health of coffee farms and farmers. Launched in 2004, the program was developed in collaboration with Conservation International. The more than 200 C.A.F.E. Practices indicators are evaluated by third-party verifiers under oversight by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Approximately 185,000 farmers currently participate in C.A.F.E. Practices. To learn more about Starbucks™ Shared Planet™, visit www.starbucks.com/sharedplanet.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.co.uk
About the FAIRTRADE Mark
The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 59 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system. By doubling its purchases of Fairtrade Certified coffee globally, Starbucks will help directly improve the lives of more than 100,000 farming families in developing countries across Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa and support programs and projects like educational scholarships, medical clinics, basic infrastructure enhancements and quality improvement initiatives. For more information on Fairtrade in the UK, visit www.fairtrade.org.uk and in Ireland, visit www.fairtrade.ie
About Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO)
FLO is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder association that encompasses a global network of Fairtrade organisations that are actively involved in supporting and empowering producers, raising consumer awareness and campaigning for changes in the rules of conventional trade. FLO’s role is to develop and review the standards that Fairtrade producers must meet, and the terms of trade for importers, exporters and retailers. FLO also directly helps producers to gain Fairtrade certification and to develop market opportunities.
FLO’s members include:
- three producer networks in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean that Fairtrade certified producer groups may join
- 20 national organisations, including Transfair USA, that promote Fairtrade in their country and licence companies to use the FAIRTRADE Certification Mark on products. There are currently Labelling Initiatives in Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
For information on Fairtrade globally, visit www.fairtrade.net