CI and Starbucks have been working together for more than 14 years, developing and applying the comprehensive set of environmental, social and economic guidelines Starbucks uses to source ethical coffee. These guidelines, known as Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, help Starbucks to evaluate and reward producers of high-quality, socially responsible and sustainably grown coffee. In 2011 Starbucks bought 86 percent of its total coffee this way — 367 million pounds worth. By 2015, all of Starbucks coffee will be third-party verified or certified, either through C.A.F.E. Practices, Fairtrade, or another externally audited system.
Increase in percentage of coffee purchased through C.A.F.E. Practices over time
Through ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our joint initiatives with Starbucks we are able to measure program performance, identify new challenges and opportunities, and determine how best to expand our support for global coffee growing communities. Beginning in 2008 we partnered to undertake an assessment of the C.A.F.E. Practices program by looking at the results of verification reports for coffee suppliers and conducting field surveys in select regions. The following publications available for download represent our latest work in this area.
Assessment of the C.A.F.E. Practices Program
This report assesses the aggregated performance of farms, mills and producer support organizations participating in C.A.F.E. Practices. The assessment analyzes the adoption of economic, social and environmental best practices among program participants at a country and global level by examining the third party verification reports submitted for Starbucks during each fiscal year. Key findings from this study include social and environmental performance results as well as recommendations for ways to improve the supplier verification process and expand technical assistance provided to coffee growers. The studies mark a significant milestone in evaluating Starbucks ethical coffee sourcing performance for a given year and a way to measure progress over time.
DOWNLOAD: C.A.F.E. Practices Results Assessment FY 08-FY10 — Executive Summary DOWNLOAD: C.A.F.E. Practices Results Assessment FY 08-FY10 — Full ReportDOWNLOAD: C.A.F.E. Practices Results Assessment FY 08 — Executive Summary
DOWNLOAD: C.A.F.E. Practices Results Assessment FY 08 — Full Report
Guatemala Field Survey
As a complement to the Results Assessment, we designed and implemented a field survey among coffee farmers in two regions of Guatemala in July 2009. The objective of the survey was to analyze whether participation in C.A.F.E. Practices has contributed to positive economic, social and environmental outcomes. Designed to identify statistically significant differences between farmers participating in C.A.F.E. Practices and a control group, key findings from this study help to quantify the impact of C.A.F.E. Practices within participating coffee producing communities.
DOWNLOAD: Guatemala Field Survey — Executive Summary
DOWNLOAD: Guatemala Field Survey — Full Report
Colombia Field Survey
As part of an ongoing process to evaluate the impacts of the Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices program since its inception in 2004, we designed and implemented a field survey among coffee farmers in the state of Nariño, Colombia, in March and April of 2011. This survey built upon a previous field survey, conducted in Guatemala in 2009.
DOWNLOAD: Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices: Colombia Field Survey — Executive Summary
DOWNLOAD: Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices: Colombia Field Survey — Full Report
DOWNLOAD: Colombia Survey (en Español)
DOWNLOAD: Colombia Experts Survey (en Español)