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Starbucks and (Un)Fair Trade

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Starbucks and (Un)Fair Trade
Posted on November 15, 2013 by ADRI Leave a comment Read it? Rate it!

Introduction

It is a cold, winter day in the middle of December, and you are looking for a warm, comfortable place to go and get some work done. You decide to head to the local Starbucks on the corner, where you order a tall Peppermint Mocha—with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, of course. You then make your way to a cozy chair in the corner, where you set up your laptop and books. The atmosphere is perfect. The store design is perfect. The employees are perfect. And the coffee is…well, that is up for debate.

As consumers, many of us know Starbucks as being one of the most popular brands in the coffee industry. Many people also know that Starbucks offers Fair Trade certified coffee, which the company often uses in its marketing campaigns to demonstrate how ethically responsible it is. Some consumers are not aware, however, that Fair Trade certified coffee is not as humane and virtuous as it seems. In fact, it is not really fair in any sense of the term. From a deontological ethical standpoint, Starbucks does not live up to ethical ideals in its promotion and sales of Fair Trade certified coffee.

History of Fair Trade Certified Coffee

The trend toward Fair Trade certified coffee stems from the Contra Movement, which occurred in Nicaragua during the 1980s. The Contra Movement resulted from the Nicaraguan government’s unfair treatment of coffee farmers. The United States supported the farmers in their rebellion (Stanley and Argenti 11). “When President Ronald Reagan banned Nicaraguan imports, Thanksgiving Coffee owner Paul Katzeff imported Nicaraguan beans through Canada and donated $.50 a pound to the Sandinistan farmer” (Stanley and Argenti 11). After numerous other countries hopped on the bandwagon and established Fair Trade efforts:

In 1997,

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