Starbucks Corporation CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ...

OUR WORLD OF PRODUCTSFor 35 years, Starbucks has purchased, roastedand sold high-quality coffee beans through retailoutlets and commercial wholesale accounts.While coffee continues to be Starbucks coreproduct, the company markets, sells and/orlicenses a broader range of products, includingTazo ® tea, Hear Music ® CDs, Ethos water,Starbucks Liqueurs, various food and dairyitems and an array of brewing equipment andmerchandise.With every product Starbucks brands, markets and sells,or uses in our operations, we uphold our commitment toquality and strive to source our products in a socially andenvironmentally responsible manner. This is what we refer toas sustainable trade.In this section, we explain how we are evolving our approachto sustainable trade by focusing on quality and the socialand environmental conditions under which our products areproduced. The following major topics are discussed:• Sustaining Coffee Quality• Sustainable Trade – Purchasing Our Non-Coffee Products– Agriculture Products– Cocoa, Tea, Dairy and Bakery– Manufactured Goods– Ethos water• Quality Assurance and Product RecallSustaining Coffee QualityWhenever a customer walks into a Starbucks, we consider itan opportunity to share our passion and knowledge of coffee,serve the highest-quality beverage, and deliver an experienceso rewarding that this customer becomes our customer – andour store becomes their Starbucks. We strive to create theultimate Starbucks Experience for all of our customers, all ofthe time.At its core, the Starbucks Experience is about great coffee –the quality that our customers have come to expect fromStarbucks and for which they are willing to pay a premium.We know to continually earn our customers’ loyalty, thequality of our coffee can never be compromised.The farmers, millers, exporters and importers who grow,process and/or supply coffee to Starbucks share the sameuncompromising commitment to quality we value. Because ofthis, they enable Starbucks to deliver on our promise of highquality to our customers.In this section we discuss the steps Starbucks is takingto ensure the sustainable production and supply of highqualitycoffee. The underlying force behind all of this is ourrelationships with coffee farmers and suppliers. They arecritical to our business and, we believe, Starbucks is vitalto theirs.Specific topics in this section include:• Overview of the coffee industry• Creating a sustainable approach• C.A.F.E. Practices:– An overview of Starbucks coffee buying guidelines– Verification system– Results and achievements– Findings and next steps• Economic transparency• Linking premium prices to premium quality• Respect for workers’ human rights• Starbucks and Fair Trade• Purchasing certified organic and conservation coffees• Providing farmers access to credit– Assisting coffee farmers in Ethiopia• Investing in projects in coffee-growing communities– Black Apron Exclusives program– Tropical Storm Stan relief effortsP R O D U C T S 16