Beyond the cup. - Starbucks

Investing in Coffee- and Tea-Growing CommunitiesStarbucks recognizes the positive impact our tradingrelationships and our commitment to environmentalstewardship have on coffee- and tea-growing communities.We also invest in these communities by providing the toolsand resources that strengthen local capacity and enablecommunity residents to pursue their ambitions.In fiscal 2005, Starbucks continued to support the work ofConservation International, African Wildlife Foundation,CARE International and Coffee Kids in the areas ofbiodiversity preservation, wildlife conservation, povertyalleviation and micro-lending, respectively. We also developeda new collaboration with Save the Children and deepened ourrelationship with Mercy Corps.Four-year-old Maria studies her native Mayan and Spanish languages in aGuatemalan school supported by Save the Children.Save the ChildrenIn developing countries, educating girls is one of the mostimpactful ways to improve the quality of life. In 2005,Starbucks committed $1.5 million over four years to bringbilingual education to 20 Mayan communities in therural highlands of Guatemala. Starbucks selected Save theChildren USA, a leading international relief and developmentorganization, to lead our Guatemala Education Initiative.The program is designed to revive existing schools andprovide quality preschool, primary and secondary educationto rural indigenous children, with special emphasis on girls.Save the Children works within local school systems tointroduce an effective intercultural bilingual methodologybased on Mayan culture. To ensure long-term success,parents and communities are encouraged to participate intheir children’s education.Villagers from Kotidhura, India, after the opening ceremony of the community hallbuilt by the CHAI Project.Mercy Corps and Tazo TeaTazo Tea began collaborating in 2002 with Mercy Corps, anonprofit international relief and development agency, on aproject called CHAI (Community Health and AdvancementInitiatives). The CHAI Project, through local partners, isproactively addressing community development needs inthe Darjeeling tea-growing region of India and working toimprove the quality of life for more than 12,000 people livingin 24 rural communities.Projects have included constructing more than 400 latrines,creating water supply systems, building roads, improvingfootpaths and constructing community halls.Funding comes from Tazo, its tea suppliers – tea growers,traders and brokers – and Starbucks. Since 2003, $970,000 hasbeen contributed to the CHAI Project, including donationsin fiscal 2005 of $274,000 from Tazo and its suppliers, and$128,000 from Starbucks. Local residents and tea managementhave volunteered labor, fed workers, transported goods andcontributed to the cost of materials and resources. Thiscollaborative approach has been a key success factor.In 2005, a similar project was piloted in four remoteGuatemalan communities that produce cardamom, a keyingredient in Tazo ® teas. Early results indicate that the projectis having a positive impact on the health and quality of life ofan estimated 850 people from these communities. For moreinformation, visit www.mercycorps.org.FUTURE GOALOver the next two years, Tazo and Mercy Corps planto expand the CHAI Project to Assam, India, and nineGuatemalan villages.40SOCIETY