Starbucks donates coffee trees on National Coffee Day
This National Coffee Day Starbucks Coffee is offering something different than free coffee: free coffee trees. Through their program, One Tree for Every Bag Commitment, Starbucks will donate a rust-resistant coffee tree to farmers in need for every cup of brewed Mexico Chiapas coffee sold today—29 September—at participating Starbucks stores in the US and Mexico. Mexico Chiapas brewed coffee is offered at more than 13,500 US and Mexico stores.
Created this time last year, the One Tree for Every Bag initiative ensures that a coffee tree is planted for every bag of coffee purchased in a participating US stores. These coffee trees are distributed to farmers who have been impacted by coffee rust, a plant fungus that damages coffee trees making it harder for them to produce high-quality coffee for the entire industry.
Through One Tree for Every Bag Commitment Starbucks has donated enough funds to plant 18 million rust-resistant coffee trees in just one year. This summer, in collaboration with one of its suppliers, ECOM, and Conservation International, the first phase of distribution began when 10 million healthy coffee trees were distributed to farmers in need across El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. Starbucks has a goal of planting a total of 20 million trees by the end of 2016.
More than 6,200 farming families received new coffee trees helping to rehabilitate more than 2,500 hectares of farmland. Furthermore, nearly 800 jobs were created to support the initial distribution of these coffee trees. Each healthy coffee tree will grow enough green coffee to roast and package one pound of finished coffee.
“I have seen firsthand the devastation coffee rust has had on farmers. The initial distribution of these coffee trees has already had a positive impact with potential to help farmers and their families for years to come,” said Craig Russell, executive vice president, Starbucks Global Coffee. “We have an ambitious goal of planting 20 million trees and celebrating Chiapas coffee, the birthplace of our ethical sourcing program over a decade ago. This is the perfect way to have our customers and the coffee community become part of the solution on National Coffee Day.”