Brands with impact
“The company’s fundamental values company are based on humanity and inclusion,” was a phrase Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, often shared. “Inspiring and nurturing the human spirit” is our global mission, framing our core goals of promoting the Starbucks Experience and human relationships in our cafeterias, showing our appreciation for all coffee-related products and using our global reach to “do good.”
Since its foundation, Starbucks has been a company committed to making a difference in the communities we serve daily, searching for valuable and meaningful opportunities in each of them.
For example, today Starbucks is the best employer in the industry. We support work experience and education for our partners (collaborators) by designing a career plan for each individual. We are proud to say Starbucks is the top employer for 80 percent of our partners. But we are more than the best employer among young people; in fact, we are a multigenerational company that embraces diversity and inclusion. Starbucks has provided employment to seniors since 2013 under an agreement with the National Institute for Older Adults. Last year, we celebrated the opening of the first store in Mexico and all of Latin America to be entirely operated by a staff of seniors, and at the beginning of this year, we welcomed the second such store in the country.
“Today, Starbucks is the best employer in the industry. We support work experience and education for our partners (collaborators) by designing a career plan for each individual”
Another social impact program we are deeply proud of is Prácticas CAFE (Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices). This is our global model for ethical supply in the industry, something that began in Chiapas in 2004. It is a program aimed at coffee growers from different regions and audited by third-parties, which both guarantees its social and environmental standards and promotes the quality of the bean. Of all coffee purchased by Starbucks around the world, including Mexico, 99 percent is purchased under Prácticas CAFE, which ensures coffee farmers receive fair and competitive payment while providing them with the necessary tools to operate under ethical product standards. For the past 14 years, thousands of Mexican coffee farmers have registered for Prácticas CAFE without any cost or commitment to sell us their coffee.
In the 90s’, the first Mexican coffee Starbucks acquired—long before we opened the first store in the country—came from Chiapas. Since then, we have maintained a strong relationship with coffee growers in this region. Coffee is at the heart of our journey in Mexico, and it is our inspiration to contribute to the welfare of coffee communities through programs like Todos Sembramos Café (We all Cultivate Coffee), which was born in Mexico and led to the emergence of One Tree For Every Bag in the United States. Thanks to the support of our customers and partners, both initiatives have delivered more than 10 million rust-resistant coffee plants to Mexican coffee growers.
We help coffee communities from within as well. Starbucks has opened nine Support Centers for Coffee Growers around the world, including one located in Mexico (San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas). The purpose of these centers is to train agronomists and coffee farmers in the best practices for cultivating high quality arabica coffee, combatting pests and diseases to improve coffee quality and increase yield.
Starbucks has also worked hard to encourage volunteering throughout the year. Each volunteer responds to the question, “How can I be a good neighbor and create a place of belonging in my community?” With this in mind, more than 17,000 volunteers participated between 2011 and 2018, supporting more than 2,000 social causes in Mexico. Our goal has been to connect our partners, clients and communities to help us all think big about what we can achieve together.
“Starbucks has a 30-year track record focusing on sustainability in all areas of its business”
Starbucks has a 30-year track record of focusing on sustainability in all areas of its business. Last year, the brand announced plans to eliminate single-use plastic straws globally by 2020. A new type of cap without a straw and straws made from alternative materials are two options for replacing single-use plastic straws in more than 28,000 stores around the world. With this, Starbucks has become the largest retail company to make such a commitment. The change will eliminate more than a billion plastic straws a year from Starbucks stores.
Since 1985, in an effort to reduce use of plastic cups, customers at all Starbucks stores around the world have been rewarded with a discount when they bring a reusable glass, cup, tumbler or other personal drink holder in their place. Even if you prefer to enjoy your drink in-store, if you ask to use your personal cup, you are awarded the same discount.
These are just some of the many actions of which we are deeply proud. Starbucks is not in the business of serving coffee to people, but rather in the business of people serving coffee. Our coffee and our passion are only comparable to the pleasure we take in sharing it every day. Our stores have become a third space for our customers and communities, a destination where human connections happen thousands of times a day. I am proud to be a Starbucks partner. There is no other place I would rather be.
