Starbucks Challenge
City Hippy and Green LA Girl have started the Starbucks Challenge. The challenge is to go into a Starbucks and order and get a fair trade coffee. City Hippy, in the UK, says that:
They want you to try in your country and then report on what happened.
So I went tomy a Starbucks today in Oshawa, Ontario (inside a Chapters) and the mild coffee of the day was Fair Trade. So no challenge was needed!
According to its own policy, Starbucks will make Fair Trade coffee for you, any day of the week, in any of the 23 countries it is licensed to sell Fair Trade including: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K. and the U.S.
They want you to try in your country and then report on what happened.
So I went to
14 Comments. Add your comments!
Excellent Scott...have added you to the feed....thanks for joining in!
Namaste
CH
By City Hippy, at 12:26 PM, October 06, 2005
I have put in a challenge to fellow Greenthinker Nathan in (downtown) Toronto. Let's see what happens with him...
By Scott, at 12:54 PM, October 06, 2005
I asked for the Fair Trade at a Starbucks in Toronto today. The girl - sorry I mean the Barista - was very knowledgeable. She told me that the Fair Trade price paid to the farmer was $1.21 per pound and that Starbucks last year on average paid $1.20 per pound (all coffee sorts) – just 1 cent less than Fair Trade... I haven't talked to Corporate to verify. The Barista also told me that Starbucks sometimes pay the farmer an additional 5 cents per pound if the farmer himself takes care of the Fair Trade certification. (hmm certifications... sounds like a familiar business ;-)
In any case, when it came to actually serve my Fair Trade coffee the Barista had to apologize – they didn't have any. Usually, she said, they would have 3 different Fair Trade blends brewing but unfortunately none right now.
So I paid her $3.10 for a tall decaf latte instead. I wonder how much milk I could get at Loblaws for 3 bucks. Probably more than a cup.
By ulrik, at 6:55 PM, October 07, 2005
Great work, Ulrik!
That was some nice info fair trade coffee and Starbucks.
Did you ask the barista to make you a fresh fair trade? Or, did you really just want a latte! :)
I was at Starbucks today and heard someone order a Grande low fat decaf latte extra hot. No joke!
By Scott, at 7:12 PM, October 07, 2005
yeah I really just wanted the latte. I did ask for a fresh cup of fair trade, though, but she didn't have the beans - or so she said, who knows if she just wanted to go home.
here's another good one: decaf tall non-fat sugerfree vanilla latte. my brother-in-law orders that.
I'm heading down to Bay/Bloor now - I'll see what they have to offer at the one next to Chapters (which is now closed).
By ulrik, at 7:45 PM, October 07, 2005
Hey Ulrik
Have added your comment to our Starbucks Challenge links at http://del.icio.us/starbuckschallenge
Which store was your first comment about? I imagine there are a few Starbucks in Toronto hehehe.
Thanks for taking part...really appreciate it!
Namaste
CH
By City Hippy, at 9:11 AM, October 08, 2005
no, Starbucks on Bloor didn't have fair trade either. Might be too early to speak of a trend but I'm getting somewhat suspicious.
I asked how often they had fair trade available and she said "that depends..." I'm sure she meant "depends on our important guests' wishes" – I guess I wasn't that important.
And even if they had fair trade beans sitting in the back, who was I to ask for a cup? They would probably use more energy on brewing a single cup than you could environmentally justify. Plus they would think I was the biggest jerk of the day – so I didn't ask.
I did have another latte though.
the first Starbucks I went to was McCowan/Milner. Scott may know that one.
By ulrik, at 9:42 AM, October 08, 2005
I think your challenge is nothing more than privileged, eletist, first world tokenism. Boring, boring, boring!
By Christopher, at 11:57 PM, October 08, 2005
Christopher, I think there are a lot of other things we could be doing that could be considered a waste of time.
We like Starbucks coffee (I do anyway) and want it to be fair trade. So we get coffee we like and some farmers get paid properly. That's all.
By Scott, at 12:45 AM, October 09, 2005
The Starbucks locations that Ulrik went to are:
1. Milner Ave. in Toronto (or Scarborough).
2. Bloor St. W. at Bay St. in Toronto. (There night be a few on Bloor, but not sure.)
By Scott, at 12:53 AM, October 09, 2005
Hi Scott and Christopher
First of all thanks for the update Scott...have amended.
Second thanks for your comment Christopher. Namaste.
I checked out your blogs and would have thought that social justice and the promotion of social justice would have been high on your list of priorities.
Indeed you say yourself that we should:
Make a living by producing goods and services that sustain life
That is what Fairtrade is. That is what we are trying to promote. Indeed that is my own personal goal: to contribute positively to the world.
Yet you seem to take issue with that and say that the challenge is 'privileged, eletist, first world tokenism'.
I do not understand your point at all. Perhaps you could explain in more depth the problem you have with the challenge?
I look forward to discussing this further.
Namaste
CH
By City Hippy, at 4:48 AM, October 09, 2005
Hi peeps -- Thanks for taking the challenge! You may already know this, but due to the challenge, a mass corporate email was sent out to Starbucks stores in the US and Canada "reminding" them of the fair trade on demand policy (more on green LA girl). This is the last week before prizes -- Perhaps I can talk you into taking the challenge again?
BTW -- according to Starbucks' corporate pubs, the company pays $1.20 a pound -- only a cent less than what the barista thought -- But the actual fair trade bottom price is $1.26. So Starbucks actually pays 6 cents less a pound on average -- which, considering the amount of coffee they buy, ends up being the kind of sum I dream I have in my retirement savings --
By Siel, at 4:54 PM, October 24, 2005
I went to my local Starbucks and the nice lady explained that they have to french press a cup of fair trade coffee. Apart from being strong, it was quite good. Hesperia CA
By Jim, at 3:22 PM, October 25, 2005
That's a good way to make sure you get a fresh cup.
By Scott, at 3:25 PM, October 25, 2005
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