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Tell
Starbucks to Give Ethiopian Farmers Their Fair Share
October
27, 2006
Dear
Supporter,
Each
year, coffee companies make billions of dollars. Starbucks alone earned
almost $5.8 billion in net revenues during the first three quarters of
2006.
Yet,
for every cup of coffee Starbucks sells, poor farmers in coffee-growing
countries like Ethiopia earn only about $.03. Even worse, while Ethiopian
farmers grow some of the finest name-brand coffees in the world - think
Harar, Yirgacheffe, and Sidamo - they don't see the premium profits those
names command among consumers.
Tell
Starbucks to give Ethiopia control over its coffee names. With as many as
15 million Ethiopians dependent on coffee, Ethiopia has decided to get its
farmers more of what they deserve. The country's government has asked
Starbucks to sign a licensing agreement that will allow Ethiopia to
control the names of its coffee. That way, Ethiopia can help determine an
export price that makes sure farmers see a larger share of the profits
enabling them to feed their children, send them to school and get them
better healthcare.
Oxfam
and a coalition of allies are asking Starbucks to sign this agreement.
According to one coalition member, control of the name brands could
increase Ethiopia's coffee export income by more than 25 percent - or $88
million annually. This money could go a lot way to help lift millions of
Ethiopians out of poverty.
So
please, help us convince Starbucks to sign this agreement with Ethiopia.
Poor farmers deserve a fair share of the profits.
Bill
Hynd
Oxfam
Canada
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