Happenings on the Ranch

First, let me apologize for not being on here lately.  The severe thunderstorms, flooding and lightning strikes left us without internet for many days.  As it is, even though we’ve got internet and I can receive email, I still can’t send.  Hopefully that will be fixed soon enough (assuming more severe weather doesn’t move in).

Now, on to today’s topic.  I’ve tried for a long time to find coffee that is both organic and Fair Trade, which seems to be an impossible fete (if you’ve found some, please let me know!).  So, when faced with the choice I usually choose Fair Trade coffee.  Why?  Well, for one, I sympathize with the plight of those coffee farmers who far too long were paid way too little for their product and their effort.  I mean, we as small farmers don’t get paid much and we would be rich by comparison.  Second, it also guarantees long-term relationships with those farmers so they can continue their living with some relative assurances.  Third, most of these growers are growing organically anyway.  The majority of them can’t afford the inputs involved in using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, let alone to clear forests.  Which means they are also environmental stewards.  Those are reasons I can get behind.

So what about Starbucks?  You won’t see any Fair Trade labeling on any of their coffees or in their stores.  Instead, you’ll see the Starbucks Shared Planet logo.  So what’s the difference?  Starbucks defines their Shared Planet ideal as their “…commitment to do things that are good to each other and the planet. From the way we buy our coffee, to minimizing our environmental footprint, to being involved in local communities. It’s doing things the way we always have.”  They also state that their ethical purchasing involves “being committed to buying and serving the highest-quality, responsibly grown, ethically traded coffee to help create a better future for farmers.”

The Shared Planet logo, signs, etc. didn’t start showing up until late 2008.  Some were critical of this move, contending that Starbucks was just jumping on the consumer-conscious “green” band wagon.  It may seem that way, but if you look at the mission statement they created back in 1990 you can see the phrase, “contribute positively to our communities and our environment.”  Does that mean they’ve always followed Fair Trade ideals?  Not necessarily.  In fact, even today they don’t 100% of the time.  They are working toward it, though.  

Starbucks publically announced a set of goals it hopes to achieve between 2012-2015, to include:

• Ethical sourcing – 100% of Starbucks coffee will be responsibly grown and ethically traded.
• Environmental stewardship – 100% of Starbucks cups will be reusable or recyclable.

While their program isn’t quite Fair Trade they’re working on it.  I could play devil’s advocate and point out that by not participating in Fair Trade and creating their own program they are self-regulating, which could lead to half-truths, etc.  But I’ll save my skepticism until it’s founded.

So though I rarely buy Starbucks coffee, now that I’ve examined what their Shared Planet ideal means I won’t feel quite as guilty about it when I do.

~Karin