Make it stronger

Starbucks applauds Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini and professor Angelina Snodgrass Godoy for proposing solutions to poverty in Guatemala ["A fair-trade port in the storm," guest commentary, Nov. 9].

We agree that Fair Trade Certified{trade} coffee is one important piece to helping ensure coffee farmers make profits, sustain their farms and improve their livelihood.

However, it is important to note that the Fair Trade movement was designed to address small-scale farmers organized into cooperatives. These represent only 3 percent of the world's coffee farmers.

Starbucks purchased 4.8 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified{trade} coffee in 2004, and those purchases impacted more than 42,000 Fair Trade coffee farmers in nine countries.

Our commitment for 2005 is to double our purchases again — to 10 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified{trade} coffee. This will make Starbucks the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified{trade} coffee in North America.

But we also recognize that Fair Trade Certified{trade} coffee is not the complete answer to promoting sustainability in coffee communities.

In order to address economic transparency, social conditions and environmental protection, Starbucks recently developed buying guidelines, Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices (C.A.F.E. Practices), that encourage sustainability at all levels of the coffee supply chain. C.A.F.E. Practices apply to co-ops, small and large farms, as well as mills and exporters.

Such holistic guidelines go beyond paying premium prices. It is our goal to purchase the majority of our coffee under C.A.F.E. Practices by 2007.

To further encourage this approach to sustainability for coffee farmers, we hope that others in the industry will adapt C.A.F.E. Practices to their coffee buying.

There is no question that there's more work to be done to bring stability and equity to coffee farmers and we applaud the efforts of all who are working to make a difference in coffee communities. This is a complex issue that requires an integrated response.

Fair Trade is one important component of buying coffee in a socially responsible manner, but not the complete solution — for Starbucks or coffee farmers.

For more information on Starbucks' efforts, visit http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csrannualreport.asp

Sandra Taylor is senior vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle.