Farmers want more money to meet Starbucks demands

[bemildred]

This will make you puke.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Central American coffee growers say the time is right for roasters like Starbucks Corp., who ask strict social and environmental standards of their top suppliers, to pay more to secure the best beans.

With world prices now out of the historic abyss they were three years ago, growers at a coffee conference in Nicaragua this week said they want to set new terms for contracts with buyers or even break contracts and risk a return to the open market.

---

Under the program growers are obliged to pay their farm workers local minimum wage and social security contributions, a rule rarely enforced by local authorities in Guatemala and one that will significantly hike labor costs.

"We are now paying workers 50 quetzales ($6) a day with all the contributions ... it's expensive." said the grower, who asked not to be named.

SignOnSanDiego

[Wilber_Stool]

1. From what I've read

grower costs have very little with the final price of coffee. It's all middlemen.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

2. Starbucks addict here: I'm willing to pay more

Keep the standards in place, Starbucks. I'll pay more.

[bemildred]

3. I must say, I usually have a low opinion of Starbucks,

their coffee is OK, but I dislike big chains,
so I was pleased to be able to post something that
puts them in a good light.

[Bamboo]

4. I like Brent,I like Sweet.

Customers are spending money for a service not a product at Starbucks so issues involving the tangible product do not really concern them so Starbucks has the advantage.
The taste of the base product does not matter since it is dressed up with flavored syrup and diluted with milk,Starbucks had a supplier which provided fake Kona coffee but it was not discovered by customers. http://starbulletin.com/97/01/10/news/briefs.html
Seattle proposed a 10 cent a cup tax on coffee but it was rejected,knowledge workers who purchase the brand lifestyle of Starbucks do not want to be reminded every day that there are people who do not share their lifestyle.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3113716.stm
Franchise fees take money from a local economy and send it elsewhere,if customers do not care enough about their own town they probably do not care about some plantation somewhere.
I have purchased fair trade coffee and would like to buy some fair trade gasoline.