• Home
• Retail
• News Article

Starbucks Delivers 100% Responsibly Grown, Ethically Traded Espresso to Customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa

Announcement underscores company's ongoing commitment to responsible business practices

Dubai, uae; September 23, 2008 -Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) today introduces customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa to the company's 100% responsibly grown, ethically traded espresso. Part of Starbucks™ Shared Planet™, the company's global commitment to doing business responsibly, the espresso comes from farmers and suppliers who follow the company's comprehensive sourcing standards and guidelines for social, economic and environmental responsibility developed in partnership with the environmental non-profit organisation Conservation International (CI).

"I am proud to introduce our responsibly grown, ethically traded espresso to our customers," said Howard Schultz, CEO and Chairman, Starbucks Coffee Company. "Since our founding, we have worked to positively impact the lives of farmers and their communities. This espresso is an example of our commitment to doing business the right way. It is our assurance to customers that they are making a difference every time they enjoy their favourite espresso based drink in their local Starbucks."

At Starbucks, 100% responsibly grown and ethically traded espresso coffee means that Starbucks espresso roast has met our exacting sourcing standards relating to economic transparency and quality. In addition, Starbucks buying guidelines help encourage the production of high-quality arabica coffee, allowing us to work with farmers who commit to improving their practices around a wide range of issues from how they treat their workers to managing their environmental impact. We began developing these industry-leading standards and guidelines as far back as 1998, working with CI.

As part of Starbucks commitment to working with farmers and coffee growing communities, the company has renewed its work with CI to address the critical issue of climate change. The same forests that produce the world's best coffee and sustain millions of farmers also extract and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide. According to CI, approximately 20 percent of carbon emissions come from tropical deforestation. Starbucks and CI are launching a new effort to work with coffee farmers to promote tropical rainforest conservation by taking conservation beyond coffee farms and into surrounding landscapes. Currently under development are two pilot projects supported by Starbucks and implemented by CI in Mexico and Indonesia. Ultimately, Starbucks and CI hope to leverage their global scale to pilot such projects across all coffee growing regions - Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. In addition, activities around climate mitigation will be governed by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) standards (climate-standards.org), one of the top recognized standards for designing land-management projects which can deliver compelling environmental and sustainable development benefits in addition to combating climate change.

"Our partnership with Starbucks plays an important role in our effort to mitigate the effects of climate change in some of the most threatened areas of the world - tropical forests," said Peter Seligmann, Chairman and CEO of Conservation International. "By integrating the work of coffee farmers into its overall efforts to combat climate change, Starbucks is addressing head-on one of the most important issues of the day."

For more information regarding Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ visit Starbucks.com/Shared Planet.

-Ends-

About Starbucks Coffee Company
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.

About Conservation International
Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. With headquarters in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents. For more information about CI, visit www.conservation.org.

© Press Release 2008