coffee farmers

Starbucks Pledges Continued Ethical Sourcing of Sustainable Coffee

In its seventh annual Fiscal 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report, the Starbucks Coffee Company has once again confirmed its pledge to continue supporting ethical sourcing of sustainable coffee while supporting coffee farmers, their communities and environment.

Fairtrade Coffee Price Increase for Small Scale Coffee Growers

From 1 June 2008, the Fairtrade minimum price for Arabica coffee will increase to ensure that farmers continue to receive a price, which covers the cost of sustainable production.

Producers will receive a guaranteed minimum price of at least US $1.25 per pound of Fairtrade certified Arabica coffee and US $1.20 for unwashed Arabica coffee, or the market price, if that is higher. In accordance with the Fairtrade model, producer organisations will also continue to receive an additional Fairtrade Premium of 10 cents per pound for investment in community and business improvements. For organic Fairtrade certified coffee an additional minimum differential of 20 cents is applied.

Fair Trade Certified Coffee of the Week at Starbucks

In support of the fourth annual Fair Trade month in the US, Starbucks will feature a 100% Fair Trade Certified Café Estima Blend as the “Coffee of the Week” in participating stores in the United States and Canada for three weeks in October 2007.

Illegal Coffee Production of Indonesia

According to a recent investigative report released by the World Wildlife Fund – WWF, coffee lovers around the world may unwittingly be drinking coffee that has been illegally grown inside one of the world’s most important national parks.

Malawi Coffee Industry – A Sleeping Forex Giant

Malawi’s Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust says the country’s coffee industry has the potential of raking into the country about K100 million ($719 000) annually if it can be well developed.

We have good land in this country and a hardworking human resource but what we are lacking is financial assistance, SCFT general manager Harrison Kalua told the press.

Coffee Rebound Perking up Rwanda’s Economy

In the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, this tiny hill nation’s coffee industry also lingered near death. World prices for the country’s unremarkable beans had bottomed out. Thousands of coffee farmers were dead. Across Rwanda’s terraced green hills, century-old coffee plantations sat abandoned or were being leveled to replant bananas.