In collaboration with coffee farmers around the world, Starbucks to scale solutions to ensure the future of coffee for all
Starbucks announced an expansion of its collaborative coffee innovation network, further connecting farmers from around the world with resources to protect the future of coffee. Building on the groundbreaking global agronomy innovation at Hacienda Alsacia, Starbucks first company-operated coffee farm, the company added farms located in Guatemala and Costa Rica with future farm investments in Africa and Asia. The learning on these farms aims to find solutions to increase productivity on farms, support increased profitability for farmers and build climate resilience.
“Starbucks works with more than 450,000 farms that grow the highest quality Arabica coffee in the world,” said Michelle Burns, Starbucks EVP of Global Coffee and Sustainability. “Our promise to those farmers and their communities is that we will always work to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all. Our solution is to develop on-farm interventions, share seeds, research and practices across the industry to help farmers mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Starbucks buys three per cent of the world’s coffee, sourcing and roasting only Arabica coffee beans, a variety known for its rich and complex flavours. Climate change is impacting the availability of high-quality coffee around the world and farming communities are feeling the impact on productivity, crop quality and their livelihoods. Rising temperatures that cause drought, coffee leaf rust disease and other related climate challenges are impacting the availability, quality and taste of coffee as it’s known today.