Arlington, VA — Conservation International (CI) announced today that it has signed a renewal agreement with Starbucks Coffee Company, a key corporate partner since 1998. The scope of this new agreement brings together the work CI and Starbucks have done with coffee farmers around the world to promote coffee production practices that conserve biodiversity, maintain healthy ecosystems and support economic and social development in coffee production landscapes. The $3 million, two year renewed commitment allows CI and Starbucks to continue efforts to promote best practices in coffee growing as part of the solution to address climate change.
"Our partnership with Starbucks remains innovative and ambitious: from developing sustainable coffee farming practices in key coffee-growing countries, to raising awareness of priority environmental issues among Starbucks' customers and the general public in Starbucks stores here and abroad," said Jen Morris, Executive Vice President for Corporate Relations for Conservation International. "This renewed partnership also allows us to expand our efforts to tackle global climate change."
The renewed partnership builds on the initiatives that began in 2008. This includes expanding pilot programs in coffee-growing communities in Chiapas, Mexico, and Sumatra, Indonesia, which are designed to support and reward coffee farmers and coffee-growing communities for efforts taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change, a significant threat to coffee growers throughout the tropics. The organizations will also continue to measure the impact of Starbucks Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices — the program CI helped develop to encourage responsible growing practices on coffee farms. They will measure how C.A.F.E. Practices is driving change in coffee growing communities. In 2010, Starbucks bought 226 million pounds of C.A.F.E. Practices verified coffee — or 84 percent of its total coffee purchases.
In addition to continuing to work at existing projects sites, the scope of the renewed agreement now includes Brazil, another tropical coffee-growing area that is seeing the effects of climate change. The overall goal in Brazil is for Starbucks and CI to help improve coffee production practices and support farmers adopting C.A.F.E. Practices while maintaining biodiversity and increasing the carbon stock within coffee production landscapes. The work will also contribute to the broader partnership's efforts to continuously improve the C.A.F.E. Practices program and expand technical assistance provided to coffee growers.
"Our partnership with CI is a critical component of our commitment to continuously improve our coffee sourcing practices. We are working together to mitigate the impact of climate change on coffee growing communities globally, and to ensure the long-term stability of coffee farms and coffee quality," said Ben Packard, Starbucks vice president of Global Responsibility. "As a result of our past and future work with CI, farmers are ultimately better positioned to protect their livelihoods while we are able to ensure a long-term supply of high-quality coffee for our customers through our responsible coffee purchasing practices."
This renewed partnership with Starbucks helps CI to achieve its conservation mission at an even greater scale and engage many more people around the world in our efforts.
###
Conservation International (CI) — Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the long term well-being of people. Founded in 1987, CI has headquarters in the Washington, DC area, and nearly 900 employees working in more than 30 countries on four continents, plus 1,000+ partners around the world. For more information, visit www.conservation.org, and follow us on Twitter: @ConservationOrg or Facebook: www.facebook.com/conservation.intl
Starbucks Coffee Company (SBUX) — Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest-quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.