Comments on: Starbucks Challenge, Part Deux http://www.credoadvisors.com/blog/business-ethics/starbucks-challenge-part-deux/ Credo Advisors Consulting Blog: Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:41:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Peter http://www.credoadvisors.com/blog/business-ethics/starbucks-challenge-part-deux/#comment-468 Peter Tue, 11 Apr 2006 03:32:06 +0000 http://credoadvisors.com/blog/?p=121#comment-468 Thank you for the comment as well as the tip about <i>Black Gold</i>! The film sounds right up my alley and will see if I can catch it before it moves to DVD. Thank you for the comment as well as the tip about Black Gold! The film sounds right up my alley and will see if I can catch it before it moves to DVD.

]]> By: Cash http://www.credoadvisors.com/blog/business-ethics/starbucks-challenge-part-deux/#comment-467 Cash Tue, 11 Apr 2006 01:51:13 +0000 http://credoadvisors.com/blog/?p=121#comment-467 Interesting article! Thanks for the insight. I recommend viewing the new indie movie called Black Gold. It was just screened up here in Portland, OR on April 9th, and it should be going all around the States in the months to come. It gave insight into the coffee industry mainly in Ethiopia, but also focussed on Startbuck's "Fair Trade" coffee...it was interesting to see that hundreds of farmers and families who provide beans to Starbucks were literally starving to death. Really interesting. I too wonder if Startbucks is in fact paying "fair" prices then why are there so many starving coffee farmers (specifically in Ethiopia) that the food clinics do not have enough room for them all? Why are people starving to death? I think that if they were infact being paid fairly, it would be immediately obvious. But i am not doing this case justice, so see this movie! Thanks again for the discussion space! Keep up the good fight. Interesting article! Thanks for the insight. I recommend viewing the new indie movie called Black Gold. It was just screened up here in Portland, OR on April 9th, and it should be going all around the States in the months to come. It gave insight into the coffee industry mainly in Ethiopia, but also focussed on Startbuck’s “Fair Trade” coffee…it was interesting to see that hundreds of farmers and families who provide beans to Starbucks were literally starving to death. Really interesting. I too wonder if Startbucks is in fact paying “fair” prices then why are there so many starving coffee farmers (specifically in Ethiopia) that the food clinics do not have enough room for them all? Why are people starving to death? I think that if they were infact being paid fairly, it would be immediately obvious. But i am not doing this case justice, so see this movie! Thanks again for the discussion space! Keep up the good fight.

]]> By: green LA girl http://www.credoadvisors.com/blog/business-ethics/starbucks-challenge-part-deux/#comment-166 green LA girl Tue, 29 Nov 2005 06:30:25 +0000 http://credoadvisors.com/blog/?p=121#comment-166 Yeah -- I've found it really interesting to see what Starbucks will and will not respond to. Simply asking them why they're not buying more fair trade certified coffee will elicit a response from them claiming that all their coffee's fairly traded. But if you get more specific -- naming percentages and "holes" in their fairly traded claim, the CSR department clams up -- Yeah — I’ve found it really interesting to see what Starbucks will and will not respond to. Simply asking them why they’re not buying more fair trade certified coffee will elicit a response from them claiming that all their coffee’s fairly traded. But if you get more specific — naming percentages and “holes” in their fairly traded claim, the CSR department clams up –

]]> By: Peter http://www.credoadvisors.com/blog/business-ethics/starbucks-challenge-part-deux/#comment-164 Peter Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:51:14 +0000 http://credoadvisors.com/blog/?p=121#comment-164 Thanks for the comment! I must have been updating at the same time and posted the same link you did, just after the Starbucks policy blurbs. Thanks for posting the link though, as I think what you have written is yet another important behind-the-scenes reality that really needs to be explored and talked about. Thanks for the comment! I must have been updating at the same time and posted the same link you did, just after the Starbucks policy blurbs. Thanks for posting the link though, as I think what you have written is yet another important behind-the-scenes reality that really needs to be explored and talked about.

]]> By: green LA girl http://www.credoadvisors.com/blog/business-ethics/starbucks-challenge-part-deux/#comment-163 green LA girl Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:33:06 +0000 http://credoadvisors.com/blog/?p=121#comment-163 The main beef I have with this Starbucks claim is that Starbucks has NO WAY of knowing whether or not the farmers who grow their beans are paid fair prices. Starbucks has transparancy clauses in 59 percent of their contracts -- which is great -- but this still means that for 41 percent of their coffee, Starbucks has no idea what the farmer's cut is. <a href="http://greenlagirl.blogspot.com/2005/11/starbucks-fairly-deceptive-claims.html" rel="nofollow">More on my post here</a>. So while Starbucks proudly proclaims that they pay $1.20 a pound, they're careful NOT to say in their press materials who that $1.20 goes to. For a big chunk of their purchases, it's not to the farmer. The main beef I have with this Starbucks claim is that Starbucks has NO WAY of knowing whether or not the farmers who grow their beans are paid fair prices. Starbucks has transparancy clauses in 59 percent of their contracts — which is great — but this still means that for 41 percent of their coffee, Starbucks has no idea what the farmer’s cut is. More on my post here.

So while Starbucks proudly proclaims that they pay $1.20 a pound, they’re careful NOT to say in their press materials who that $1.20 goes to. For a big chunk of their purchases, it’s not to the farmer.

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