Oxfam revealed today that Starbucks has been working to block Ethiopian coffee farmers from asserting the right to their own cultural heritage. Ethiopia is seeking to control its own coffee names- Sidamo, Harar, and Yirgacheffe- against Starbucks' opposition. The company's maneuvering is depriving Ethiopian coffee farmers of tens of millions of dollars a year in much needed revenue.
The revelation is further evidence that Starbucks' socially-responsible claims regarding coffee farmers and baristas is nothing but spin.
Visit the Starbucks campaign homepage at Oxfam's website: here
Take a stand with workers across the Starbucks supply chain with the Justice from Bean to Cup! campaign: http://starbucksunion.org/bean2cup
Source: Industrial Workers of the World