Holding Coffee in High Esteem

12.02.2008 21:45:00

Starbucks is inviting its customers to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight (25th February – 9th March) by enjoying its Fair Trade certified coffee, Café Estima Blend™.

The word Estima, translated from Spanish, means to respect or place value upon others - to hold in high esteem. By calling this coffee Café Estima Blend™, Starbucks is expressing its respect for the farmers it works with to produce it.

“Café Estima Blend™ is a complex coffee with a dark roast, so it’s delicious when it’s freshly brewed or when prepared using an espresso machine,” said James Hall, Starbucks coffee ambassador. “I am proud that this versatile coffee is available in our coffee houses and is just one of the ways we are committed to ethically sourcing our coffee. Customers love its smooth, velvety texture and roasty-sweet finish. I recommend pairing it with nuts, cocoa or caramel, as they are the perfect complements to round out the sweet roastiness of this blend.”

Café Estima Blend™ is available in Starbucks freshly brewed and costs £1.60 (Tall) or as a whole bean coffee to take home, it costs £3.90 for 250 grams.

Enjoying a delicious cup of Café Estima Blend™ Fair Trade certified coffee is just one the many ways Starbucks makes a positive difference to coffee farmers in coffee growing communities.

Starbucks and the Fair Trade movement share a common goal: to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their coffee and strengthen their farms for the future. Starbucks buys Fair Trade Certified™ coffee because it benefits small-scale coffee farmers organised into cooperatives and is part of Starbucks larger, integrated approach to sustainable coffee sourcing.

In addition to offering Fair Trade certified and organic coffees, Starbucks encourages producers to participate in C.A.F.E. Practices (Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices), which is an incentive-based performance system that provides purchasing preference to coffee suppliers that provide green coffee grown, processed and traded in an environmentally, socially and economically responsible way. C.A.F.E. Practices is a programme built on a model of continuous improvement and Starbucks encourages coffee cooperatives, farms and supply networks of all sizes and scale to participate. The C.A.F.E. Practices verification system is designed to help coffee producers monitor their sustainability progress and continuously improve their practices.

Phil Broad, managing director of Starbucks, said: “Purchasing Fair Trade Certified™ coffee is one of several ways we seek to ensure the economic sustainability of small-scale coffee farmers and ensure the long-term supply of high quality coffee. Through our own C.A.F.E. Practices, visitors to Starbucks should feel assured that they are helping to support the coffee growing community, not only through purchasing Café Estima Blend™ but also through purchasing any of our espresso-based beverages and wholebean coffees. ”

Starbucks is constantly striving to understand what farmers need to sustain their livelihoods. For every coffee bean Starbucks buys, the company seeks to apply the same principles – paying premium prices to help farmers make a profit, caring for the social and environmental needs of coffee growing regions and ensuring long term supply of high quality coffee.

-Ends -

Client name: Starbucks

Web link: www.starbucks.co.uk