Starbucks Makes You Comfortable While Raping the Earth

I had to go into Starbucks today. I had one of those meetings where someone is doing you a favor and no matter how much you try to suggest an alternative location, their favor overrides your concerns. So I was forced to drink Starbucks coffee. And even though I was once again re-affirmed that the quality of their coffee is below the most obscure, out in middle of no-where, gas station, I understand why the yuppies love the place so much. Starbucks is inviting. As a coffee addict, it is the perfect environment, good jazz, coffee memorabilia tailored to the coffee addict like myself, free newspapers and comfortable chairs. They even had photography by a local artist for sale to invite you in. The truth is Starbucks is responsible for the demise currently befallen Colombia; and continues to make decisions that impoverish poor countries around the world. While it’s true that Starbucks makes up a small portion of coffee consumption (although growing) it upsets an equilibrium of coffee prices (by buying up small shops) and collapsed the main commodity for the Colombian economy. It decided that was not enough and took aim at the best coffee in the world, Ethiopian Coffee. According to Oxfam Each year, coffee companies make billions of dollars. Starbucks alone earned nearly $6 billion in net revenue during the first three quarters of 2006, and yet for every cup of coffee Starbucks sells, farmers in coffee-growing countries like Ethiopia earn only about three cents. Now, Starbucks has begun to pursue trademark rights for its Ethiopian coffees – Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harrar – despite those names describing geographic regions of Ethiopia that have been producing coffee for hundreds of years. The Ethiopian government has objected to this, asking Starbucks to sign a licensing agreement that will allow Ethiopia to control the names of its coffee. That way, Ethiopia can help determine an export price that makes sure farmers see a larger share of the profits – enabling them to feed their children, send them to school, and get better healthcare. According to Oxfam, control of the names could increase Ethiopia's coffee exports by more than 25 percent, or $88 million annually, which could help lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty. They pretend to make up for it, but do very little. And then buying the tradable quality of Ethiopian coffee is disgusting. Their pamphlet on Social Behavior is troubling for its lack of actual facts on Starbucks behavior. I think they bet on people not reading it. It’s out so that people can assume that Starbucks does good things while never looking at it. And if you do pick it up, the first pages speak generally about what it is doing. But in the details themselves the pamphlet makes general claims about free trade coffee bought, water usage and waste. Not in any context to judge against but just out there. In other words, it’s an empty pamphlet without any real information and doesn't answer any of the major concerns leveled against the company. Go to Oxfam US to find out more about its attempts to stop Starbucks from impoverishing.