 Over the years, some of the relationships we’ve built with farmers have produced far more than coffee.
Starbucks and a number of farms have collaborated to improve local water systems, construct coffee mills and support other projects that benefit farming families and their communities.
The projects are funded in two ways. First, Starbucks pays an additional premium on top of the purchase price for coffee from a specific farm. The added premiums go toward the project. Second, the farm matches Starbucks contribution so they have a vested interest in the project.
Many of these initiatives are ongoing efforts. That ensures that once the projects are developed, they are sustained.
The theme of our Corporate Social Responsibility Fiscal 2004, "Striking a Balance," underscores our approach to conducting business. Starbucks continues to take the lead among major coffee companies through our approach to responsible coffee purchasing. We are continuing to introduce coffee farmers and suppliers to Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, a set of socially responsible buying guidelines that have evolved from our two-year pilot project and were further refined by the feedback we received from coffee growers, sustainability experts and others.
While there are many examples we could provide, here are some that best describe our collaborative efforts for fiscal 2004:
- In January 2004, we opened our Farmer Support Center in Costa Rica , enabling our team of experts in coffee quality and sustainability practices to collaborate directly with coffee farmers on measures that will help them sustain their farms and surrounding communities.
- Starbucks began requiring detailed and verifiable documentation for financial transactions along the supply chain. This enables us to determine whether farm workers are receiving fair compensation for their labor.
- 248 coffee farmers and suppliers from 22 countries had applied to become Starbucks preferred suppliers; 139 were approved. Starbucks purchased 43.5 million pounds (19.7 kilograms) of coffee from Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices suppliers while 4.8 million pounds of coffee was purchased from Fair Trade CertifiedT cooperatives.
|
