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Tell Starbucks to Honor Their Commitments to Coffee Farmers

Target: Jim Donald, Starbucks CEO
Sponsored by: Oxfam America

Each year, coffee companies make billions of dollars. Starbucks alone earned almost $5.8 billion in net revenues during the first three quarters of 2006.

Yet, for every cup of coffee Starbucks sells, poor farmers in coffee-growing countries like Ethiopia earn only about $.03. Even worse, while Ethiopian farmers grow some of the finest name-brand coffees in the world think Harar, Yirgacheffe, and Sidamo they don't see the premium profits those names command among consumers.

With as many as 15 million Ethiopians dependent on coffee, Ethiopia wants to get its farmers more of what they deserve. The country's government has asked 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 them better healthcare.

Ask Starbucks to sign the agreement giving Ethiopian farmers their fair share of coffee profits.

deadline: 10-25-2007
goal: 10,000

22,098
signatures!

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This petition is now closed. Success! Starbucks and Ethiopia have finalized an agreement that ends their trademark dispute and brings both sides together in partnership to help Ethiopian farmers. This agreement has the potential to give these farmers a fair share of the profits for their world-renowned coffees. Congratulations! Keep up the good work!

Dear Jim Donald:

As a Starbucks customer, I'm concerned about your opposition to Ethiopia's right to own its coffee names. I am asking Starbucks to honor its commitment to farmers by signing an agreement with Ethiopia that recognizes the country's rights to the names of its coffees. If Starbucks and other companies sign such agreements, estimates suggest that Ethiopian's could see up to $88 million of extra income a year.

[Your comment]

Ethiopia ranks among the poorest countries in the world; more than 75 percent of its population lives on less than $1 per day. About 15 million people in Ethiopia depend on coffee to make a living, the majority of them growing their crop on small plots of about two and a half acres.

Meanwhile, coffee lovers pay up to $26 per pound for fine Ethiopian coffees because they're willing to pay for high quality and great taste. Ethiopian farmers, however, often earn just 5-10 percent of the retail value.

With this disparity in mind, the Ethiopian government launched a project to get legal ownership of its fine coffee names-Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harar. By owning the names, Ethiopia will be able to occupy a stronger negotiating position with foreign buyers, capture a larger share of the market value associated with those names, and protect the reputations of its brand names. In a country with a per capita income of around $100 per year, that amount of money could have a profound impact on the lives of millions of Ethiopians.

As you know, Ethiopia approached Starbucks more than a year ago asking the company to lead by example and to discuss an agreement that would acknowledge Ethiopia's ownership of these names. So far, Starbucks has refused to sign the agreement, or even talk seriously about it with the Ethiopian government.

I want to see Starbucks do the right thing by the poor farmers who grow its coffee. I urge you to sign the licensing agreement and recognize Ethiopia's rightful ownership of its coffee names.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Address]

We signed the “Tell Starbucks to Honor Their Commitments to Coffee Farmers” petition!

# 21,800:

4:44 pm PST, Nov 20, Suzanne Burrall, California
No matter how successful you are as a business, I won't buy Starbuck's coffee, first because you make more campaign contributions to the corrupt Republicans, and second because you exploit other human beings for your profit. I refuse to support businesses who are known to cause human suffering on this planet, which is what you do. Shame on all of you!!

# 21,799:

4:44 pm PST, Nov 20, Aklilu Tes, Malaysia
it is legitimate to get the brand

# 21,798:

4:38 pm PST, Nov 20, LYNETTE ZIZZ, New York
honor your promise to coffee farmers!!!

# 21,797:

4:34 pm PST, Nov 20, Elizabeth M. de Rham, California

# 21,796:

4:33 pm PST, Nov 20, Jennifer Snyder, Minnesota

# 21,795:

4:30 pm PST, Nov 20, Teramu Sadessa, Virginia

# 21,794:

4:24 pm PST, Nov 20, Margaret Rose Simons, Texas

# 21,793:

4:16 pm PST, Nov 20, Alyson Williams, Minnesota
I have been to Ethiopia and seen coffee farms there. These people deserve their fair share for making Starbucks so much money. The Ethiopian Farmers and families all work hard to protect and help the crop grow. Children are armed with spears to protect the coffee from Baboons. Please do the decent thing and honor your agreements.

# 21,792:

4:15 pm PST, Nov 20, Claudia Aguirre, California

# 21,791:

4:13 pm PST, Nov 20, Michelle L.Hoff, Pennsylvania
Starbucks charges so much money for all of their coffee and tea. I love the tea, but the farmers deserve their share of the profits.

# 21,790:

4:12 pm PST, Nov 20, Debbie Woods, Virginia

# 21,789:

4:06 pm PST, Nov 20, Bruce-Michael Gelbert, New York

# 21,788:

4:06 pm PST, Nov 20, Name not displayed, Montana

# 21,787:

4:05 pm PST, Nov 20, Resa Boydston, Kansas

# 21,786:

3:46 pm PST, Nov 20, Jennifer Yumoto, Arkansas

# 21,785:

3:40 pm PST, Nov 20, James Miller, Tennessee

# 21,784:

3:39 pm PST, Nov 20, Charles Gillard, Colorado
Ethiopia as the homeland of coffee deserves a fair deal and much respect.

# 21,783:

3:38 pm PST, Nov 20, A Bradley, California

# 21,782:

3:28 pm PST, Nov 20, Name not displayed, Texas
It's embarrassing that a company has so much revenue and profit and they still willingly refuse to share it with the people that actually go through the process of hard labor to produce and harvest these fine products for the industries. $00.03 per cup would be considered an outrage in America; how do you think the people that provide the actual products feel?

# 21,781:

3:22 pm PST, Nov 20, Martha Debebe, Maryland

# 21,780:

3:20 pm PST, Nov 20, Michael Spudich, Florida

# 21,779:

3:17 pm PST, Nov 20, Bob Quay, Pennsylvania

# 21,778:

3:14 pm PST, Nov 20, Estalyn Walcoff, New York

# 21,777:

3:14 pm PST, Nov 20, Name not displayed, Illinois
It's a shame that you charge so much for your coffee, but give so little back.

# 21,776:

3:12 pm PST, Nov 20, Name not displayed, Virginia
Everyone deserves the right to earn a fair wage. As one of the largest coffee companies, you owe it to the farmers in Ethiopia and to your customers to pay them more than .03 per cup of coffee.

# 21,775:

3:09 pm PST, Nov 20, Brian Melsky, New York

# 21,774:

3:07 pm PST, Nov 20, Regan Gawan, Arizona

# 21,773:

2:54 pm PST, Nov 20, Karen O'Brien, Virginia
I buy Starbucks coffee--at least I did until now. The reason I chose your coffee is because it claimed to support fair trade practices, and other coffees made no such claim. Now it seems your company has been lying to me and your other customers. I'm very disappointed. Please address this issue, and do the right thing. Give the farmers a fair price for their crops.

# 21,772:

2:36 pm PST, Nov 20, Lisa Villanueva, Pennsylvania

# 21,771:

2:36 pm PST, Nov 20, M. Logan, Maryland

# 21,770:

2:31 pm PST, Nov 20, CarriLin Florer, California
I really enjoy the taste of Starbuck's coffee, but I will switch if it does not show a commitment to helping those in poverty.

# 21,769:

2:25 pm PST, Nov 20, Daniel Makonnen, Germany

# 21,768:

2:22 pm PST, Nov 20, Tsigereda G, Minnesota
use your common sense!!!! No more StarBucks for me!!!!

# 21,767:

2:18 pm PST, Nov 20, Valerie Robles, North Carolina

# 21,766:

2:07 pm PST, Nov 20, Sarah Moses, Florida

# 21,765:

2:01 pm PST, Nov 20, Renee Cady, New Jersey

# 21,764:

1:57 pm PST, Nov 20, Name not displayed, Maryland

# 21,763:

1:50 pm PST, Nov 20, Sarah Parker, Virginia

# 21,762:

1:45 pm PST, Nov 20, Leulseged Amare, Washington

# 21,761:

1:35 pm PST, Nov 20, Eileen Rotizza, Illinois
its sad to know i go there every single day. "hey starbucks!" keep it up and you will lose many many a customer!!!!!

# 21,760:

1:34 pm PST, Nov 20, Doreen Freedman, Michigan

# 21,759:

1:33 pm PST, Nov 20, Name not displayed, Florida
Be fair - give the Ethiopian farmers what they deserves for their contribution to your coffee business

# 21,758:

1:25 pm PST, Nov 20, Anthony Ivy, Alabama

# 21,757:

1:24 pm PST, Nov 20, Alethea Braun-dunagan, Arizona

# 21,756:

1:23 pm PST, Nov 20, Jonathan Butler, California
I spend for my wife, myself and friends about six hundred dollars per month and your corporate owned stores. With the type of profits you make but refuse to share with the workers on the field I will not spend another dime until this issue is resolved. I will also tell every coworker, friend, acquaintance to use other coffe shops until this is resolved. Sincerly, Jonathan Bulter

# 21,755:

1:22 pm PST, Nov 20, Catherine Orland, Maryland

# 21,754:

1:14 pm PST, Nov 20, Verbus Counts, South Carolina
Be Fair!

# 21,753:

1:05 pm PST, Nov 20, Diana Browning, Utah

# 21,752:

1:01 pm PST, Nov 20, Navild Acosta, California
Save Lives

# 21,751:

12:56 pm PST, Nov 20, Kayleigh Woods, United Kingdom
It isn't fair that Ethiopian farmers should put in the most labour to make coffee beans and still live in poverty while the big companies exploit their labour and roll in excess revenue. The Ethiopians deserve their fair share.

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