Starbucks Coffee Are they friends of the poor coffee grower?

• Some people believe in an expanded definition of quality one that adds concerns about the way coffee beans are grown and purchased to the usual criteria of cup taste. Some coffee is Organic and labeled as Fair Trade, which normally means purchasing from small farmer cooperatives. Many agree that many Estate coffees taste fine. However, after visiting estates throughout Central America and hearing about how the workers live in company housing, shop at company stores and are educated at company schools, the coffee left us with a bad taste in our mouth.
  
  
  Chicken Hunter's Thoughts
  

"Coffee is great! I don't know much about fair trade and organic coffee but I think people should consider where their coffee comes from... Personally I don't care, I'm a Tasters Choice Instant Coffee Man. I know there isn't a better way to enjoy coffee than with Tasters Choice...Pre-ground and it melts in the cup of hot water, no filters no waiting...Just instant"

08.11.2006
Trademark News
Confusion surrounds Starbucks involvement in Ethiopian application
Applications from the Ethiopian Government to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the coffee names ‘Sidamo’ ‘Harar’ and ‘Yirgacheffe’ have been rejected, prompting criticism from the Oxfam charity.Oxfam consider the Starbucks chain to be the villains of the piece but according to reports in the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’, Starbucks themselves deny the accusation.Starbucks did indeed submit an application for ‘Sidamo’ in 2004, causing USPTO to reject an Ethiopian application of 2005. Starbuck’s application lapsed in June 2006, but the US National Coffee Association (NCA) continued to object to Ethiopian claims. According to ‘The Guardian’, representatives of NCA have admitted that this opposition was sparked by Starbucks, one of their foremost members.Oxfam claim that the trademarks would have increased Ethiopia’s earnings from coffee considerably and ironically they have cooperated with Starbucks in the past to boost coffee production in the country. Starbucks point to the premium prices they continue to pay for coffee from Ethiopia and the enormous growth in their purchase of coffee from the country in recent years.Ethiopia appears to be continuing to pursue its claims in America. brd