Farmers in Thailand Benefit from Starbucks Community Store Donation


Buying a beverage or a bag of coffee has special meaning at Starbucks Community Store in the Langsuan district of Bangkok.

Earlier this month, during festivities to celebrate the store’s third anniversary, Starbucks Coffee Thailand confirmed the donation of 4.5 million baht (approximately $127,000 USD) to farming communities in Northern Thailand through the Integrated Tribal Development Program (ITDP). This contribution is the result of the Community Store’s profit-sharing business model, where 10 baht from every Starbucks® beverage purchased and five percent from the sales of Muan Jai™ Blend coffee are donated to support the needs of the local community. 

In 2015, contributions from the store funded two learning centers in Chiang Mai, Thailand that provide education to more than 120 students from kindergarten through third grade and expect to expand to sixth grade in the near future.

“The Community Store at Langsuan reflects our commitment to creating positive changes in our community, and sustaining local coffee and farming communities,” said Murray Darling, managing director, Starbucks Coffee Thailand. “While customers may have never visited a coffee farming community in Northern Thailand, I am proud that our store has enabled them to contribute to the lives of those who live in these communities.”

Starbucks Coffee Thailand has a history of supporting ITDP, a non-governmental organization based in Chiang Mai that works to end poverty in local hill tribe villages.

“Over the past 15 years, Starbucks has worked closely with us to build a future for our coffee farmers and the coffee farming community,” said Michael R. Mann, Program Director of ITDP. “Together, using a holistic approach, we have developed a water supply infrastructure, a health center and learning centers where community members can discover more about agriculture, mechanics, and communication skills.”

“We will continue to support ITDP to ensure that the quality of life for coffee farmers, their families and their communities are consistently improved and sustained," said Darling.

thumbnail for Starbucks shakes things up with its newest line-up of Autumn beverages

Starbucks shakes things up with its newest line-up of Autumn beverages