As you know, Starbucks is the largest coffee retailer in the world, serving millions of customers in 80 countries every day. Naturally, this also makes it one of the world’s leading buyers of coffee beans.
Since Starbucks has a reputation as an ethical and sustainable company, you may be wondering where Starbucks gets its coffee beans and how they are sourced. Read on for the answers to your questions!
Where Does Starbucks Get Their Coffee Beans?
Starbucks coffee beans are sourced from 30 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Americas as of [currentyear]. Some of Starbucks’ signature coffee flavors come from beans sourced from Brazil, Colombia, and Indonesia. Starbucks follows ethical, fair trade, and environmentally sustainable practices in sourcing its coffee beans, tea, and cocoa. Starbucks also invests in projects to sustain farmers, local communities, and the environment.
If you have more questions about how Starbucks coffee is sourced and how it supports farming communities and environmental sustainability, read on. You’ll find the answers here!
Where Do Starbucks’ Coffee Beans Come From?
It’s not surprising that Starbucks is one of the biggest buyers of coffee beans in the world. Starbucks coffee beans come from 400,000 farmers in 30 countries around the world.
This includes countries in South and Central America, Asia, and Africa, with Starbucks’ signature house and breakfast blends originating in Latin America.
Additionally, the popular Pikes Peak Roast is made from coffee beans grown in Brazil and Colombia.
As for the types of beans used, Starbucks uses only Arabica coffee beans, which grow at higher altitudes between 3,000 and 6,000 feet.
What Is the Starbucks Coffee Supply Chain?
The Starbucks coffee supply chain stretches around the world and is vertically integrated.
This means that Starbucks deals directly with every step of the supply chain, from sourcing, quality control, shipping, and then transporting to roasting locations worldwide.
Once the beans have been freshly roasted, they are then shipped to thousands of stores nationwide.
Is Starbucks Coffee Ethically Sourced?
Over the years, Starbucks has developed an image as an ethical and sustainable company that cares about people and the environment.
When it comes to ethical practices, Starbucks does more than talk, it walks the walk. For example, Starbucks has many programs investing in local communities and environmentally sustainable practices worldwide.
On top of this, Starbucks follows ethical sourcing practices, including fair trade prices and other kinds of support for the farmers who grow the coffee.
Another unique way Starbucks is helping the industry is by creating the Coffee and Farmer Equity or C.A.F.E. program.
The aim of this program is to build long-term, lasting relationships with the farmers through fair trade, support, and environmental sustainability programs.
Additionally, the Starbucks C.A.F.E. program uses third-party verification to certify that its coffee is ethically produced.
This means ensuring that workers are paid a fair wage, have good working conditions, and invest in their well-being and future.
Does Starbucks Use Fair Trade?
The aim of the fair trade movement is to ensure that farmers are paid a fair price for their products. This would be higher than the low prices farmers can get on the market because it factors in their costs and hard work.
Starbucks was among the earliest pioneers of the fair trade movement and has offered Fairtrade coffee for over twenty years, beginning in 2000.
Fairtrade helps to support farmers and communities around the world by ensuring fair wages and decent working and living conditions for workers.
Additionally, Starbucks also follows the fair trade practice of offering farm loans with reasonable terms.
For this purpose, Starbucks contributes to the Fair Trade Access Fund, run by Incofin Investment Management, Grameen Foundation, and Fairtrade International.
The Fair Trade Access Fund helps smallholder farmers by providing both financial and technical help.
Where Does Starbucks Get Their Tea?
Starbucks tea, like their coffee, is also ethically sourced. Starbucks sources its tea from around the world, including tea estates in India and Guatemala.
Starbucks is part of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), which helps ensure ethical and sustainable practices in the tea estates.
Like its coffee beans, Starbucks tea is sourced from third-party verified farms, with the verification being carried out by organizations like the Rainforest Alliance.
Third-party verification ensures that workers on the estates are paid a fair wage and have safe working and living conditions.
You can find out more about how Starbucks supports local communities on their website.
Is Starbucks Cocoa Ethically Sourced?
Like coffee and tea, the cocoa used in Starbucks drinks and products is ethically sourced from farms certified by UTZ or the Rainforest Alliance.
Through membership in the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), Starbucks helps to support cocoa farmers and the environment.
How Does Starbucks Support Farmers?
Starbucks invests in supporting the farmers and communities where their products originate through many different projects.
C.A.F.E. also provides farmer loans on reasonable terms. Starbucks runs farmer support centers and forest carbon projects.
In addition to this, there are farmers’ support centers in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Colombia.
Starbucks also provides farmer loans and helps to support local communities and the environment through investment in social and sustainability projects.
To find out more, you can also read our posts on how many calories in a Starbucks Hot Chocolate, what Starbucks drink has the most caffeine, and if Starbucks has oat milk.
