Starbucks – Blending Coffee with Conservation

Is African coffee strong enough to make it in the global marketplace? Just ask Starbucks. Arguably, the best quality Arabica coffee on earth grows in east Africa’s volcanic soils – coffee so good, it is often blended with lesser beans to boost their favor. So when a new law propositioned that Kenya’s coffee growers sell their coffee beans directly to the market, AWF jumped on the opportunity. A couple of years later, AWF is helping local growers produce coffee for Starbucks.

For the people of the Kilimanjaro and Samburu Heartlands, growing and marketing coffee in an international marketplace is a chance to secure a better livelihood for farmers, slow the destruction of the Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro forests, secure critical watersheds, protect elephant corridors, and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

AWF has been developing a partnership with Starbucks since 2002, after seeing the work the company has done in Latin America with the C.A.F.E. Practices (Coffee And Farmer Equity) methodology for sustainable coffee production and recognizing their strict quality standards that are sensitive to both human beings and the environment.

Upon reaching agreement on a project for the African Heartlands, AWF signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding in March 2005. Now AWF is securing government approvals, identifying project sites, adapting C.A.F.E. Practices for the region, and training farmers to grow coffee sustainably – and to meet Starbuck’s high quality standards.

The advantage of Starbucks’ C.A.F.E. Practices is that it establishes verifiable standards for growing and milling coffee in ways that are sensitive to both people and the environment. The higher growers and producers score, the more stable their relationship with Starbucks and wildlife can become. Eventually, farmers hope to enjoy premium pricing that is shielded from market fluctuations as well as credit extensions that will be invaluable in helping small growers develop into prosperous farmers.

Growing and selling coffee not only helps farmers, it fosters conservation and reduces conflicts between humans and wildlife – particularly the elephants that roam the Heartlands. Elephants don’t like java, so the coffee plants create a valuable buffer zone between movement corridors and food crops. And, because specialty coffee needs shade, growers are motivated to replant forests that have been cleared for other uses.

Elephants may not like coffee beans, but they will undoubtedly appreciate the benefits that coffee-growing brings for the wildlife and the people alike. The potential of the Starbucks partnership means that African coffee isn’t just strong – it’s powerful. So the next time you drop by Starbucks, ask for an African blend – and enjoy a taste of Africa’s economic future.