As we head into a new year, there are three brand new beverages on the menu across EMEA: and they’re all about tailoring your coffee to you.

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From today (30 December), for a limited time, the Starbucks Blonde® Caramelised Almond Macchiato, Starbucks Blonde® Honeycomb Macchiato, and the Starbucks Blonde® Double Chocolatey Macchiato are launching in selected markets across EMEA.

Each of the new beverages is handcrafted using Starbucks Blonde® roast, which offers a smoother,&nbsp; mellower flavour compared to our Signature roast.

The new Blonde® Macchiato Duos build on Starbucks strong Macchiato heritage, with the coffee appearing on Starbucks very first espresso menu 30 years ago, when we first began to offer handcrafted coffee beverages.

Over the years we’ve put our own signature twist on the quintessential Macchiatos, with the new Blonde® Macchiato Duos joining the rest of the lineup at Starbucks that includes the original Espresso Macchiato, Latte Macchiato and Caramel Macchiato.

Whether you order a different roast, or an alternative milk, every drink is handcrafted just for you, to ensure each sip is perfectly balanced and perfectly enjoyed.

To continue offering customers increased choice and personalisation in their Starbucks Experience, customers across EMEA are able to choose from a selection of different dairy alternatives made from soya, coconut, almond, or oat, to make their handcrafted beverage.

In the UK, France, and Benelux, customers can also now enjoy Starbucks new Original Nut Blend, made from cashew, rice, and hazelnut, which has been specially crafted to steam perfectly for a superior coffee experience.

We've got the full details of each new Macchiato to launch In EMEA this Spring below.

Double Chocolately Macchiato (all markets)

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A mixture of white chocolate and cocoa sauce is paired with steamed milk and topped with Blonde espresso shots, before being finished with chocolate mixture crosshatch.

Caramelised Almond Macchiato (all EMEA markets, excluding UK)

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Steamed milk and caramelised almond syrup are topped with Blonde espresso shots and finished with the iconic Starbucks caramel drizzle cross hatch.

Steamed milk and honeycomb syrup is topped with Blonde espresso shots and finished with a crunchy honeycomb topping.

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In&nbsp;EMEA, Starbucks introduced soy to menus in the UK 15 years ago, and continues to introduce new drinks and food to menus globally while innovating with plant-based ingredients across key platforms like espresso, cold brew, refreshment and food.

In January 2021, Starbucks in the UK announced new plant-based food including the Beyond Meat® Breakfast Sandwich and the No Chick’n &amp; BBQ Bean Hot Wrap as part of their new winter menu. The Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich marks the debut of Beyond Breakfast Sausage in the UK, making Starbucks the first place that local customers can try it.

Also this month, in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, Starbucks announced an expansion to its plant-based food and with the launch of the Beyond Meat® Triple Cheese Wrap and Beyond Meatball Arabian Ciabatta, available from 11 January, as a core menu item, in all stores in UAE and Kuwait.

Starbucks continues to drive menu innovation in EMEA and expand plant-based around the world to meet the growing interest of customers. You can read more about what else we’re doing across the globe, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/plant-based-menu-innovation-at-starbucks/">here.</a>

Three new Macchiato beverages join the EMEA menu - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Stories EMEA

Three new Macchiato beverages join the EMEA menu

As we head into a new year, there are three brand new beverages on the menu across EMEA: and they’re all about tailoring your coffee to you. From today (30 December), for a limited time, the Starbucks Blonde® Caramelised Almond Macchiato, Starbucks Blonde® Honeycomb Macchiato, and the Starbucks Blonde® Double Chocolatey Macchiato are launching in […]

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/three-new-macchiato-beverages-join-the-emea-menu/

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Starbucks original handcrafted favourites Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte are also back by popular demand and even better – they’re now available as a vegan option for the first time

For a brand-new holiday drink try the Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate

Nothing marks the start of the holidays like the arrival of Starbucks Red Cups. Today, Starbucks - the originators of the holiday cups – launch this year’s long-awaited edition in stores across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In this year’s holiday line-up are some familiar favourites, with the popular Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte returning for another year, and for the first time ever, you’ll be able to make them vegan from head to toe, should you wish – with vegan whipped topping and all!

This year’s holiday menu also features a twist on the classic hot chocolate with a truly indulgent truffle taste.

Last but by no means least, what says holiday season better than a sip of the traditional Eggnog Latte? It’s back and it’s as rich and tasty as ever!

If a refreshing cold drink is more your thing, we’ll still be serving up the favourites, including the Blonde Iced Latte, our super smooth Nitro Cold Brew and the classic Starbucks Iced Latte.

Whether you want to reconnect with loved ones or fancy a treat for yourself, we’re here to offer you a warm welcome this holiday season.

NEW Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate: Bringing joy to chocoholics with the perfect mix of creamy chocolatey body, mocha whipped cream and indulgent chocolatey truffle topping. A brand-new tasty twist on a classic winter treat for the taste buds!

Gingerbread Latte: The Gingerbread Latte will be back for a limited time only,and for the first time – it will also be available as a vegan option. This sweet and subtly spiced drink combines the signature Starbucks espresso with gingerbread syrup and steamed milk. Handcrafted for each customer, Its topped with gingerbread infused whipped cream and a delicious wafer topping.&nbsp; For a vegan friendly version, this can be made with a milk alternative and soya whipped topping.

Toffee Nut Latte: Also new for this year and for a limited time only, is the vegan version of this popular holiday beverage, made from the finest ingredients.&nbsp; Served hot, this twist on the classic latte combines our signature espresso with steamed milk (or a vegan milk alternative) and sweet toffee nut syrup.&nbsp; A finishing touch of whipped cream or soya whipped topping, along with toffee topping brings all of the flavours together to give this timeless classic a holiday twist.

Eggnog Latte: Rich in taste, this holiday favourite blends our signature espresso with luxurious steamed eggnog for an uplifting treat. A little dusting of nutmeg on top provides the perfect finishing touch.

Share your Red Cups moments using #RedCups

Beverage offering and prices varies by market, check your local Starbucks website for availability.

To find your nearest store,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator">click here.</a>

Starbucks Red Cups return with two classics fully vegan for the first time - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Red Cups return with two classics fully vegan for the first time

Starbucks original handcrafted favourites Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte are also back by popular demand and even better – they’re now available as a vegan option for the first time For a brand-new holiday drink try the Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate Nothing marks the start of the holidays like the arrival of Starbucks Red […]

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/starbucks-red-cups-return-with-two-classics-fully-vegan-for-the-first-time/

It’s been 17 years since Starbucks first introduced the PSL and started its very own seasonal zeitgeist

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The return of the PSL marks the start of autumn for many *cue crackling bonfires*. The drink is now a seasonal staple synonymous with cosy knits as the temperatures cool and we finally say farewell to summer.

A scrumptious combination of Starbucks Espresso Roast, pumpkin pie flavoured sauce, and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves – this truly is the ‘pumpkin-g’ of flavours.

Back in 2003, Starbucks created the original Pumpkin Spice Latte. Since then, the beloved fan favourite has grown in popularity year on year.

Over the years, Starbucks has evolved the drink to align with shifting consumer trends, with diverse variations to cater to all preferences. From the addition of cold options such as the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, to the introduction of the vegan dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Latte sauce in 2018, the innovative beverage team at Starbucks have got you covered.

The PSL has become its own cultural phenomenon, with each silky-smooth sip of the drink reminding fans of crisp, autumnal days past. Every year social media is ablaze with excitement, and this year pumpkin lovers’ joy is particularly contagious. 

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With the PSL now back in stores across Europe and Africa, Starbucks officially declares it autumn – go spice up your season!

To find your nearest store, <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator">click here.</a>

Pumpkin Spice Latte season is upon us! The original #PSL is back - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Pumpkin Spice Latte season is upon us! The original #PSL is back

It’s been 17 years since Starbucks first introduced the PSL and started its very own seasonal zeitgeist Highly anticipated amongst Starbucks fans and autumn aficionados around the world, the iconic drink is back – all hail the original Pumpkin Spice Latte. The return of the PSL marks the start of autumn for many *cue crackling […]

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/the-original-pumpkin-spice-latte-is-back/

In honour of International Women’s Day, meet Cecilia Valderrama Gómez, Manjula Kahar and Nande Anggun, women who live in different countries but are united in their commitment to improving their communities with the support of The Starbucks Foundation.

It was a mother’s sacrifice that was nearly unfathomable. In order to save her children, Cecilia Valderrama Gómez knew she would have to send them away. She and her husband and four children lived in El Escobal, a rural area in Colombia that was controlled for 50 years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The FARC was known to recruit young children and use them as runners. So, when Valderrama Gómez’s children were between 9 and 13, she sent three of them to stay with family in a safer area where they could go to school and wouldn’t be taken by the FARC.

“I didn’t want them to be at risk,” she said. Years passed, and it wasn’t until the conflict ended two years ago that she saw them again. Her son who wasn’t able to go with the others ended up being conscripted by the FARC and later went to jail.

It’s overwhelming recalling all that she went through living in the shadow of the FARC, she said. Instead, she chooses to focus on the present and work toward the future. Today, “I’m happy and hopeful,” she said. “I have always wanted to help others fight for a better life and to help others get ahead.”

Valderrama Gómez, 52, is doing exactly that as president of the Escobal Women’s Association, an organisation comprised of 16 women, dedicated to improving conditions for the community after the conflict. About half of the families in her community don’t have basic sanitation services. Many don’t have bathrooms. 

That’s now starting to change due to help from a $500,000 grant to Lutheran World Relief from The Starbucks Foundation, which is targeted toward improving sanitation and access to clean water and also creating greater economic opportunity for women in coffee communities in Tolima, Colombia. 

In 2018, The Starbucks Foundation announced a goal of empowering 250,000 women and girls by 2025 in communities where coffee, tea, and cocoa is grown. Since then, the foundation has given nearly $4.6 million dollars to 16 programmes focused on women’s leadership opportunities, economic development, access to water, sanitation, health, education and more. The number of women directly impacted now stands at more than 259,000.

Starbucks currently partners with a number of non-profits around the world who lead the programs, including Barefoot College, CARE, Days for Girls International, Lutheran World Relief (in Colombia and Indonesia), Roger Federer Foundation, Send a Cow, UNICEF Ethical Tea Partnership, Instituto del Café de Costa Rica, Malala Fund and World Relief. 

Fact Sheet: <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/03/Fact-Sheet-The-Starbucks-Foundation-Grants-to-Empowering-Women.pdf">The Starbucks Foundation Grants to Empowering Women</a>

“When you invest in women, you are investing in an entire ecosystem,” said Virginia Tenpenny, vice president of Global Social Impact at Starbucks and executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “We’re focused on investments that lead to women being empowered, specifically in health, educational opportunities and income, so they can in turn empower their families and communities as well.”

The women of the Escobal Women’s Association may be small in number, but they know how to organise and get things done, a point of pride for Valderrama Gómez. They raise bees and sell the honey locally, providing an income for their families while working toward a goal of being able to sell their honey in the larger cities and grow their customer base. 

They are also about to use those same organisational skills to help facilitate the building of more toilets in her community. Women from her group will meet with families in the area to assess the need. And then they’ll coordinate getting the supplies there via a two-hour journey by donkey.

Valderrama Gómez knows that better sanitation means less sickness and disease. People get sick if the water is contaminated. The closest hospital is miles away. 

“If you have better sanitation, you have better health,” she said. “My hope is to see new projects continue and for the community to really grow, not just in prosperity but in peace.”

That’s the hope of The Starbucks Foundation too, said Tenpenny.

“Women have an instinct to pay it forward,” she said. In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8, meet some of the other women who are working to change the world, one community at a time.

At 3 p.m. each afternoon, about 120 children arrive at Majula Kahar’s home in Assam, India, for her after-school education program. For the next two hours, Kahar teaches them how to read and write. Though Kahar comes from modest means, she does it without pay, committed to helping the children have opportunities she didn’t growing up. 

Like them, Kahar, now 26, grew up on the Moran Tea Estate, the daughter of a tea picker. She attended the local government school when she was a girl, especially unusual for young girls in the region. Due to limited access to school and lack of resources, many children on tea estates who do attend school drop out before high school without being able to read, making aspirations and economic opportunities nearly impossible.

“The after-school programme that these children are a part of is for lower-income groups,” she said. “I feel change will come when it is communicated that education is a largest priority. I want the community to be educated and to value education.”

In many tea communities, education is prioritised for boys, with girls being expected to focus on household chores, she said. But Kahar’s mother, a tea picker whom she calls the core of the family, always placed value on education. She encouraged all three of her children to continue school, even as Kahar saw many of her friends drop out and get married early. 

Kahar went through a training program to learn how to teach children as part of <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/sourcing/tea">Mercy Corps’ Community Health and Advancement Initiative (CHAI)</a>, supported since 2003 by &nbsp;The Starbucks Foundation. Today she is earning her Bachelor of Arts degree at Moran College to advance access to education for children in her community.&nbsp;

“I always had the desire to be a teacher,” she said. “Education was not a priority on tea estates growing up, and after getting training, I began teaching kids in the community. I quickly saw, after three or four months, an improvement in students. They could now recognise the alphabet and write short sentences. One student even began to sing stories in the classroom to friends. This is the inspiration I see in schools. I am happy that I can contribute to my community and society.”

The number of students who come to Kahar’s classes continues to grow. Many, who are eager for the chance to learn, are bringing their friends. She finds room for them all.

Education, she knows, is the key to unlocking a better life, particularly for girls.

“I want to see women and girls uplifted in parts of the world where they are deprived of education,” she said. “I hope one day the woman will rise and be given importance in the world.”

After she graduates from college, she wants to be a school teacher, which she sees as her path to changing the world. 

It’s early morning and Nande Anggun, 48, has not been to bed yet. As a midwife, she’s accustomed to being up at all hours at the side of women who need her. On this day last week, she’s just helped deliver a baby girl – part of the next generation of women in the Indonesian community that Anggun has devoted her life to helping empower.

In addition to being a midwife for the last 26 years, she also works with young children and the elderly, tends to her farm of 200 coffee trees and is also the treasurer of Pembianaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK), a family welfare organisation led by women focused on helping develop women’s leadership, governance, management, strategic planning and more in their villages. It’s rare for her to get more than six hours of sleep a night, but it’s worth it, she says, because she knows that this is how change happens.

“I’m very proud to participate in community activities because I look for how the women in my community can have a better life,” she said, as she sat in the lobby of her local health clinic. 

In 2018 Lutheran World Relief, which works with PKK, was given a three-year grant from The Starbucks Foundation totalling $500,000 to support women-led community health and hygiene programs for 2,100 households in Indonesian coffee-producing villages. 

PKK is leading a series of workshops where women in the community can discuss various topics about health and family. The group is focused on helping women build, and then advocate, for their own agendas in their lives and communities. Often, she said, the weight of caring for the family and making sure bills are paid falls to women, even when they are working outside the home. 

“Women are considered the responsible person for running a family,” she said. 

She recently led a workshop focused on the roles of women and men in families – and how women can navigate conversations with their husbands about being more involved as fathers and seeing their wives as equals. It sparked a conversation with Anggun’s own husband, whom she said doesn’t always understand why she is so busy volunteering her time. 

She puts her hand to her heart as she talks about what matters – she wants to make things better for those who are coming behind her. Women coming together can be powerful, she said. “It’s not always just about gaining new knowledge, but other women might be thinking about the same things,” she said. That is how change begins.

Her face lights up as she talks about her own children, a 25-year-old daughter and her 21-year-old son. 

“As a mother, I always hope my daughter can hope she has a better life than me. I hope she and her husband can discuss everything about the family,” she said.

In addition to the community workshops, part of the grant is focused toward improving sanitation and access to clean water. Women who volunteer with PKK will be trained to help educate people about better sanitation. Grant dollars will help fund the construction of 18 communal water and sanitation facilities in five communities, featuring a shower, toilet, sink and water storage tank. 

While Anggun has running water at her house, many in her village don’t. When she goes to visit friends who only have latrines and no water, she worries for them, she said. 

Better health, better sanitation and women who are truly supported in their communities are the goals that drive her, she said. “When I grow old and look back, I hope that people will remember the work I’ve done and the love and hope I have for people,” she said.

Just then, someone approaches and Anggun excuses herself. A woman in labour needs her. Another baby, part of the next generation in her community, was about to be born. 

Luz Ruiz Salazar contributed to this story.

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3 women changing the world, a community at a time - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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3 women changing the world, a community at a time

In honor of International Women’s Day, meet Cecilia Valderrama Gómez, Manjula Kahar and Nande Anggun, women who live in different countries but are united in their commitment to improving their communities with the support of The Starbucks Foundation.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/women-in-coffee-and-tea-communities-2/

In honor of International Women’s Day, meet Cecilia Valderrama Gómez, Manjula Kahar and Nande Anggun, women who live in different countries but are united in their commitment to improving their communities.

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On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a festive Starbucks coffee!

This year’s brand-new EMEA beverage – the Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate and the

‘Tis the season to be jolly and, from the start of November, Starbucks has been launchingits highly anticipated range of seasonal food, cups and beverages across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Not only are the drinks filled with Christmas flavours, but we’re bringing back the original reusable Red Cup, giving everyone the chance to have their fix of festive cheer, sustainably.

This will be the second year the Starbucks Red Reusable Cup will be appearing across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and will be available whilst stocks last. Starbucks has offered a reusable cup discount as part of its <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/from-ethical-sourcing-to-going-strawless-to-stores-powered-by-the-sun/">wider sustainability commitments</a> for the past 21 years, ever since opening its first store in Europe in 1998.

Once you've picked up your limited-edition reusable, it's time to pick your favourite festive beverage.

As the originators of what are now Christmas beverage classics, such as the Gingerbread Latte, we’re proud to debut a brand-new festive treat − the Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate. A twist on your original hot chocolate, this drink combines with delicious marshmallow syrup and is topped with marshmallow flavoured whipped cream. 

And back by popular demand are the trio of legendary fan favourites – the original Gingerbread Latte, the Toffee Nut Latte and the traditional Eggnog Latte. And if you need to take the heat off from Holiday shopping and celebrations, these three Christmas staples are all available as a Frappuccino®.

Delicious mocha sauce is combined with marshmallow syrup, topped with marshmallow flavoured whipped cream and finished with a caramelised sugar topping. This beverage is a timeless classic with an exciting twist.

 Gingerbread syrup is combined with our 100% Arabica signature Starbucks espresso, steamed milk, topped with gingerbread flavoured whipped cream and a delicious wafer topping.

Toffee nut syrup is combined with our 100% Arabica signature espresso, steamed milk and topped with whipped cream and a delicious toffee nut flavoured topping.

100% Arabica signature espresso is combined with creamy, steamed eggnog and served with a dusting of ground nutmeg, it gets everyone feeling Christmassy.

Starbucks, the originators of festive cups and drinks, mark the arrival of the season with its Holiday menu - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks, the originators of festive cups and drinks, mark the arrival of the season with its Holiday menu

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a festive Starbucks coffee! This year’s brand-new EMEA beverage – the Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate and the ‘Tis the season to be jolly and, from the start of November, Starbucks has been launchingits highly anticipated range of seasonal food, cups and beverages across […]

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/starbucks-mark-the-arrival-of-the-season-with-its-holiday-menu-2019/

Your coffee wouldn’t be possible without the farmers around the world who grow it. That’s why we work alongside them to support sustainable farming practices and their communities.

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More than 25 million coffee producers around the world are facing the impacts of a changing climate. <a href="https://www.conservation.org/partners/starbucks">Conservation International and Starbucks</a>, joined by more than 130 other organisations, are working to help – with a mission to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product. Today, 99 percent of the coffee Starbucks buys around the world is verified under its <a href="http://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/coffee-farming-adapts-in-the-face-of-climate-change">Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>, which has helped farmers improve their environmental performance and weather the impacts of climate change for more than 15 years.

Coffee rust continues to be one of the biggest impacts of climate change – leaves dotted with holes and flecked with the life-choking orange fungus, crippling the coffee harvest. Sergio Alvarez, a senior coffee developer at Starbucks, visited the mountainous region of Chiapas, Mexico, to see first-hand how Starbucks and Conservation International are flighting the impact of climate change:

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To directly combat coffee rust, Starbucks launched the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees">100 Million Trees Programme</a> and, so far, more than 30 million trees have already been donated. Catalina Pacheco, a 2nd generation farmer in Guatemala, received 6,000 rust-resistant trees in 2016, this year, the trees produced their very first harvest.

Coffee remains a critical piece of the economy for thousands of coffee farmers despite a global trend toward urbanisation. But, like any crop, is sensitive to price fluctuations owing to a variety of factors, most of which are beyond the control of farmers. When global coffee prices plummeted in late 2018, smallholder farmers in Central America were among the hardest hit by the drop. In some cases, the price they could get for their crop fell below the cost of production. 

In response, Starbucks committed to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-commits-20-million-for-emergency-relief-to-farmers">$20 million in emergency relief funds </a>to smallholder farmers in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. The funds are now augmenting the income they received for their harvest and help increase their stability. After weathering the latest downturn with the support of emergency relief funds, it allowed farmers such as Remedios Fernàndez from Mexico to keep her focus on the future:&nbsp;

Starbucks currently operates a network of nine <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/ensuring-access-to-agronomy-education-and-resources">Farmer Support Centres</a>, including one satellite agronomy office, in coffee-producing countries around the world, providing farmers with free access to the latest findings of Starbucks agronomists, including new varietals of disease-resistant trees and advanced soil management techniques.

To date, Starbucks has trained more than 52,000 farmers with free access to education and resources through its Farmer Support Centres, with a goal of reaching 200,000 farmers by 2020.

Ensuring the future of farming:

Over the past 20 years, Starbucks has invested more than $150 million in support for coffee farmers and their communities on top of the premium it pays for high quality and ethically sourced coffee. Its network of support includes nine <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-farmer-support-centers">Farmer Support Centers</a> around the world; an initiative to distribute <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees">100 million disease-resilient coffee trees</a> to farmers by 2025; providing loans to farmers; and promoting <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/women-in-coffee-and-tea-communities">leadership opportunities for women and families</a> in coffee-growing communities.

Starbucks hopes to help ensure the future of coffee for the thousands of farmers who produce coffee served in its stores and the 100 million customers who enjoy it each week – for today, tomorrow, and always<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/starbucks-files-uk-and-emea-accounts-for-fiscal-year-ended-september-2018/">.</a>

Coffee Unites - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Your coffee wouldn’t be possible without the farmers around the world who grow it. That’s why we work alongside them to support sustainable farming practices and their communities. Environment: We’re working to address agricultural challenges that threaten farmers’ livelihoods. Economics: We make financial investments supporting farmers’ livelihoods over the long run and in times of […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/coffee-unites/

Coffee Unites

The journey a coffee bean follows from farm to cup is an arduous one. It usually begins high in the hills of the Coffee Belt, a band that wraps around the Earth’s middle between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Bucket by bucket, the beans are hand-picked and processed before trundling down winding roads to cargo ships destined for roasting plants and cafés around the world. 

To get the best beans, buyers from Starbucks have traveled to the source since the first store opened back in 1971. They journeyed to far-flung farms in places in Latin America, Asia and East Africa, taking time to get to know farmers and their communities along the way.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

When Starbucks launched its C.A.F.E. Practices sustainable sourcing program in 2004, the company knew that building on these personal relationships would be critical to the program’s success. It opened its first <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-farmer-support-centers/">Farmer Support Center</a> that same year in San José, Costa Rica, and hired a team of agronomists to bring farmers into the program.

Carlos Mario Rodriguez, director and global head of coffee research and development for Starbucks, was part of that first Farmer Support Center agronomy team. He drove his pickup truck over countless miles of narrow roads to visit farmers and help them with a range of sustainability issues and ensure a long-term supply of quality coffee. He helped them set up their own test plots, showed them how to space trees correctly and offered suggestions to manage erosion and reduce the use of pesticides.&nbsp; 

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William Chacon, owner of the Café Las Peñas farm in Sabanilla, Costa Rica, has been working with Starbucks agronomists for more than 10 years, even when his farm is not selling to Starbucks. 

“There are many problems related to deforestation, and the coffee gets damaged by disease, and so the quality suffers too,” said Chacon. “With Starbucks help, we are producing new varieties of coffee. The quality is good because the leaves and the plants grow healthy.” 

In that first year the Farmer Support Center, 43.5 million pounds of green (unroasted) coffee were purchased from C.A.F.E. Practices-approved suppliers, representing 14.5 percent of total coffee purchases. Each year, purchases under the program continued to grow and Starbucks expanded its network of farmer support. A satellite location in Guatemala City opened in 2006, followed by Rwanda in 2009, Tanzania in 2011 and Colombia in 2012. Field by field, farm by farm – this new approach to sustainable sourcing was taking root.

In 2012, Starbucks opened its sixth Farmer Support Center, and first in Asia, in Yunnan, China’s Pu’er region. Alan Tong was the first agronomist at the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2017/yunnan-single-origin-coffee/">China Farmer Support Center</a>, starting with just 25 coffee growers.

Since then, he and his team have trained nearly 10,000 farmers in China in sustainable farming practices and 1,200 farms are now verified through C.A.F.E. Practices. They are also putting resources toward <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-deepens-its-commitment-in-yunnan-communities/">creating pathways out of poverty in coffee farming communities</a> across the region.

After opening two more Farmer Support Centers in Ethiopia (2014) and Indonesia (2015), Starbucks’ oldest Farmer Support Center also became its newest. In 2016 the San José agronomy center moved from its downtown office building to a farm 15 miles up a mountain road to the foot of the Poàs Volcano. The 600-acre working farm and visitor’s center at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/coffee-sustainability/">Hacienda Alsacia</a> serves as Starbucks global agronomy research and development center.

“I can show [farmers] how we have been doing things,” said Victor Trejos, general manager of Hacienda Alsacia. “How we have been planting, how we fertilize, soil tests … and how they can do the same.” 

The farm includes 14 hectares dedicated to research. It’s a testing ground to push the boundaries of agronomy research to breed trees that are resistant to coffee leaf rust, or roya, which is ravaging coffee crops in Latin America. The team also analyzes soil, fine tunes pruning techniques, and supports farmers in other ways to increase coffee trees’ quality and productivity. Its findings aren’t kept in a company vault; they are shared freely with researchers and farmers everywhere.

To date, Starbucks has trained more than 52,000 farmers with free access to education and resources through its Farmer Support Centers, with a goal of reaching 200,000 farmers by 2020.&nbsp;Its aspiration is to&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2015/making-coffee-the-worlds-first-sustainably-sourced-agriculture-product/">make coffee the world’s first sustainably sourced agricultural product</a>.

But for Rodriguez, the accomplishment is best measured one farm, one farmer at a time.

“To me, as a professional, as a partner, it’s the best part really when you start working with a particular farmer and see that they are improving their living conditions and being able to keep producing coffee as a good business,” he said. “That’s the best. It’s really something that motivates us.” 

Centred on Sustainability - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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How Starbucks provide farmers across the globe free access to education and resources.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/ensuring-access-to-agronomy-education-and-resources/

Centred on Sustainability

Centered on Sustainability

A lot of people, love and science make your morning cup happen.

At a coffee farm on the side of volcano in Costa Rica, Starbucks is innovating and learning on behalf of the coffee farmers everywhere. All that research is open-source, in pursuit of making coffee the first sustainable agriculture product. It’s a huge undertaking, but one that everyone involved takes personally. 

From seed to cup: The journey to sustainable coffee - Starbucks Stories EMEA

https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/sites/17/2019/04/20180827agronomists_006-1.jpg

From seed to cup: The journey to sustainable coffee

A lot of people, love and science make your morning cup happen.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/from-seed-to-cup-the-journey-to-sustainable-coffee/

In honor of International Women’s Day, meet Cecilia Valderrama Gómez, Manjula Kahar and Nande Anggun, women who live in different countries but are united in their commitment to improving their communities with the support of The Starbucks Foundation. 

“Because of the conflict, people were living in fear,” she said. “There was a lot of fear in doing just basic activities. We couldn’t dare try to leave the area.” 

Valderrama Gómez, 52, is doing exactly that as president of the Escobal Women’s Association, an organization comprised of 16 women, dedicated to improving conditions for the community after the conflict. About half of the families in her community don’t have basic sanitation services. Many don’t have bathrooms. 

In 2018, The Starbucks Foundation announced a goal of empowering 250,000 women and girls by 2025 in communities where coffee, tea, and cocoa is grown. Since then, the foundation has given nearly $4 million dollars to 11 programs focused on women’s leadership opportunities, economic development, access to water, sanitation, health, education and more. 

Starbucks currently partners with a number of non-profits around the world who lead the programs, including Barefoot College, CARE, Days for Girls International, Lutheran World Relief (in Colombia and Indonesia), Roger Federer Foundation, Send a Cow, UNICEF Ethical Tea Partnership, Instituto del Café’ de Costa Rica, Malala Fund and World Relief.

The women of the Escobal Women’s Association may be small in number, but they know how to organize and get things done, a point of pride for Valderrama Gómez. They raise bees and sell the honey locally, providing an income for their families while working toward a goal of being able to sell their honey in the larger cities and grow their customer base. 

They are also about to use those same organizational skills to help facilitate the building of more toilets in her community. Women from her group will meet with families in the area to assess the need. And then they’ll coordinate getting the supplies there via a two-hour journey by donkey.

“Women have an instinct to pay it forward,” she said. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, meet some of the other women who are working to change the world, one community at a time.

&nbsp;“The after-school program that these children are a part of is for lower-income groups,” she said. “I feel change will come when it is communicated that education is a largest priority. I want the community to be educated and to value education.”

In many tea communities, education is prioritized for boys, with girls being expected to focus on household chores, she said. But Kahar’s mother, a tea picker whom she calls the core of the family, always placed value on education. She encouraged all three of her children to continue school, even as Kahar saw many of her friends drop out and get married early. &nbsp;

“I always had the desire to be a teacher,” she said. “Education was not a priority on tea estates growing up, and after getting training, I began teaching kids in the community. I quickly saw, after three or four months, an improvement in students. They could now recognize the alphabet and write short sentences. One student even began to sing stories in the classroom to friends.&nbsp; This is the inspiration I see in schools. I am happy that I can contribute to my community and society.”

In addition to being a midwife for the last 26 years, she also works with young children and the elderly, tends to her farm of 200 coffee trees and is also the treasurer of Pembianaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK), a family welfare organization led by women focused on helping develop women’s leadership, governance, management, strategic planning and more in their villages. It’s rare for her to get more than six hours of sleep a night, but it’s worth it, she says, because she knows that this is how change happens.

In 2018 Lutheran World Relief, which works with PKK, was given a three-year grant from The Starbucks Foundation totaling $500,000 to support women-led community health and hygiene programs for 2,100 households in Indonesian coffee-producing villages. 

Just then, someone approaches and Anggun excuses herself. A woman in labor needs her. Another baby, part of the next generation in her community, was about to be born. 

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/women-in-coffee-and-tea-communities/

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Centred on Sustainability

From seed to cup: The journey to sustainable coffee

3 women changing the world, a community at a time

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