Some frequently asked questions about the Starbucks Challenge answered. If you have more questions, please ask in a comment or email City Hippy or green LA girl.

What’s the Starbucks Challenge?

Go in to your local Starbucks, ask for a cup of fair trade coffee, then report what ensues, either by blogging about it or emailing green LA girl or City Hippy. Why? Starbucks sez all company owned and operated stores’ll French press a cup of fair trade coffee for you if you ask for it — at no additional cost — as long as you’re willing to wait a few mins for the French press. Basically, we’re taking them up on this nice offer.

(Update, 1/21/07) Where does Starbucks say it’ll make you a French pressed cup of coffee if you ask for it? Starbucks used to have this promise all over its website, until Starbucks Challengers actually made an concerted effort to take them up on it. After many many reports that customers couldn’t get a cup of fair trade coffee, Starbucks quietly took the info off its website in April 2006. The offer, however, still stands, and you can verify it by calling Starbucks’ customer service — it’s just not publicized by Starbucks.

(Update 10/7/05) I tried asking for fair trade coffee, but the barista said they’re brewing [some other coffee blend] today. How should I respond?

Ask if they would be willing to French-press a cup for you. It seems that the Starbucks training encourages baristas to take a two-step process (Sustainablog has the inside scoop on this): First, tell customers “It’s not the coffee of the day/week,” then, if the customer still insists, offer the French press option. Transmogrifier tried this, and finally got a fair trade cup on his second try. Not quite as fair-trade-friendly as their company publicity sheets makes them sound, but a fair trade cup of coffee offered grudgingly is still a cup of fair trade coffee, I s’pose –

Update, 10/28/05: Apparently, this two-step process is NOT official Starbucks policy. According to the training manuals, a barista should offer customers a French-pressed cup of fair trade upon request, WITHOUT rattling off the list of coffees brewing. No word, as of yet, as to why so many stores and baristas are doing otherwise.

(Update, 8/9/06) My barista told me I have to pay for the whole French press pot, and I don’t got $3.75 for a cuppa joe.

Your barista’s wrong — chances are, he or she just wasn’t ever trained adequately on this Starbucks dealio — something we’re hoping the Starbucks Challenge will help rectify. You should ONLY be charged for the exact size that you ordered. On the upside, if you take the challenge multiple times, you’re likely to meet a barista who’ll not only be aware of the deal, but also offer to upgrade your size free of charge so as not to waste the extra coffee :) Be nice to the baristas — They rock! :)

(Update, 1/24/06) My barista told me all of Starbucks’ coffee’s fair trade (or, for baristas, “My manager told me all of Starbucks’ coffee’s fair trade”). True?

No. Totally untrue. In fact, Starbucks doesn’t even know how much farmers are paid for a whopping 41% of their coffee. Starbucks has admitted this, but hasn’t taken any steps to stop the misconceptions spread by the baristas, who’ve been trained to say that all of Starbucks’ coffee’s fair trade. We’re trying to get Starbucks to stop telling this lie — Please join in our effort by stating your support in the comments.

(Update, 1/18/07) But I read that Starbucks pays $1.42 for its coffee — which is way higher than the $1.26 for fair trade certified coffee!

The problem here is that Starbucks is comparing apples to oranges. The $1.26 fair trade certified price means that the coffee farmer co-op receives $1.26 per lb. The $1.42 Starbucks claim means that — um — someone receives $1.42. This could be anyone from the importer that Starbucks pays so as not to have to hear about the conditions of the actual farmers producing the coffee, to the “coyotes,” middlemen who’re known for gouging farmers with no means to get their coffee to the market — in order to fatten their own bottom lines.

The coffee chain has many many participants — farmers, exporters, shippers, importers, roasters, coffee shops, consumers, etc. Obviously, if you name the price you pay to people near the end of that chain, the figure’s gonna look bigger than if you name the price of the people you pay near the beginning of the chain. So Starbucks has found it’s in their best interests to name that bigger figure near the end — without specifying who exactly that figure’s goining to.

(Update 10/28/05) I read on green LA girl that the Cafe Estima blend is Starbucks’ only fair trade certified blend, but the Starbucks website mentions a second Fair Trade Blend. What’s up with that?

Cafe Estima — a new, bolder blend — is sorta “replacing” the Fair Trade Blend — A welcome switch, considering the fact that many coffee afficionados found the old Fair Trade Blend gross. Cindy of Starbucks apologizes that the Starbucks website is still not up-to-date. The old Fair Trade Blend is now out of stores, but will still be avaliable to food service accounts like colleges and universities.

(Update, 5/9/06) I saw / was served a blend called Timor Lorosa’e when I asked for fair trade. Is it fair trade? Why’s it not listed on the Starbucks website?

Timor Lorosa’e isn’t avaliable in the US, except in Hawaii. It does, however, seem to be avaliable pretty much everywhere else, from Tokyo to Dublin. You can read about this fair trade certified coffee from East Timor here. If it’s avaliable at your store, feel free to ask for it instead of Cafe Estima.

My local Barnes & Noble or Borders “proudly brews” Starbucks coffee. Can I take the challenge there?

Not really. Starbucks makes this fair trade guarantee only for the stores it owns. This would exclude all bookstores and other coffee vendors that serve Starbucks but are not technically part of the behemoth corporation. If in doubt, check out Starbucks’ locator — Locations on that list, with just a few exceptions, are bound by the challenge.

Of course, you can still ask your local Starbucks-serving bookstore for fair trade — If enough challengers do so, it could convince the place to switch to, or at least offer, Starbucks’ fair trade offerings…

Someone’s already hit my local Starbucks. What’s a blogger to do now?

Hit that Starbucks again! Especially in the US stores, experiences can differ widely, depending on which barista’s on shift, what day of the week it is, etc. Plus, with enough requests, your Starbucks might decide to keep fair trade brewing instead of individually French-pressing a cup for each challenger — Good news for fair trade farmers and activists everywhere. Due to popular demand, many Starbucks in the UK already keep a vat of fair trade brewed up, ready to serve.

(Update, 1/24/06) Where IS Starbucks in terms of their commitment to fair trade? Gimme the skinny.

The skinny: Only 3.7% of Starbucks’ coffee’s fair trade certified. Many Starbucks challenges taken around the world continue to fail, and it’s tough to get a fair trade cup of coffee even durinig some of the weeks when the coffee of the week’s supposed to be fair trade. All the details here — From the mermaid’s spin, to that spin, interpreted.

(Update, 1/24/06) Why’re you bugging Starbucks? Aren’t there lots of companies out there that’re much more evil?

Yes, yes, there are. But none have earned the same green creds as Starbucks. If you look at the mermaid’s Corporate Social Responsibility annual report, fair trade’s written all over it. Plus, Starbucks continuously claims that it has the same goals as the fair trade movement. If the mermaid’s gonna take credit, it’s gotta do what it says it does.

(Update, 1/24/06) Why’re you sending people to Starbucks, that omnipresent monster chain making all our cities look exactly the same? Friends don’t let friends go to Starbucks!

Well, we’re not advocating that people make Starbucks their primary source of coffee. We’re just asking people to drop by once or a few times to see how their local mermaid’s doin’. Cuz at this point, Starbucks is so huge that, although only 3.7% of its coffee’s fair trade certified, that 3.7% makes up about 21% of all the fair trade certified coffee that comes in to the US. Meaning — If we can goad Starbucks into improving their percentages, it means big changes for coffee farmers around the world.

(Update, 1/24/06) Is it true that Starbucks drives out local, independent coffee shops?

Yes, yes.

(Update, 1/24/06) I wrote/called Starbucks complaining about their meager fair trade options, and got a letter back saying all this stuff about how fair trade certified coffee makes up only 2-3% of the coffee out there. Is this true?

Yes, it’s true that the amount of fair trade certified coffee out there’s limited. The reason? Big corps have chosen not to buy fair trade coffee, opting instead for easier, cheaper “conventional” methods of getting coffee — namely, buying it from middlemen who’ve bought the coffee dirt cheap by gouging farmers. Thus, lots of fair trade certified coffee ends up being sold at “conventional” (read: not profitable) coffee prices. Right now, there’s more fair trade certified coffee being produced than is being bought. If companies like Starbucks made a larger commitment to fair trade coffee, more fair trade coffee would be bought, and more fair trade coffee would then get certified. Starbucks’ excuse puts the blame on the certification system, when the blame really lies with big companies for not giving more support to fair trade certified coffee.

(Update, 8/9/06) I asked Starbucks about its fair trade commitment, and was told that farmers that work on fair trade co-ops don’t get all the money that companies pay for their coffee. Is that true?

To say that farmers in fair trade co-ops aren’t getting the money due to them is twisting the truth quite a bit. As a recent NYT article reports, farmers directly get about 70% of the money that’s given to co-ops. The other 30% or so goes to 1) admin costs for running the co-op and 2) projects that the co-op as a whole chooses to undertake (i.e. building a school and hospital, getting clean running water, etc.) At all fair trade co-ops, all farmers MUST be given a democratic vote in deciding on these projects and such. So no, not 100% of the money goes directly into the farmer’s pocket, but if a farmer votes to put 30% of the moolah toward a badly needed school, I’d say that’s money that goes back to the farmer, albeit indirectly.

Of course, since Starbucks prefers to work with large estate farms (read: cheaper for Starbucks) than co-ops, you can see why Starbucks tries to make that 70% figure look like corruption at the co-ops.

(Update, 1/24/06) Enough about fair trade. What about Starbucks’ progressive employment benefits? Isn’t Starbucks a good company overall, keeping stuff beyond fair trade in mind?

Starbucks does some cool stuff, like offering part time employees medical benefits and stock options. However, it’s hard for me (green LA girl) to figure out exactly how well Starbucks treats its employees. Some say that they’re fucking awesome. But keep in mind that we’re used to companies like Walmart, that shaft their employees of benefits in any way they can. Starbucks has been charged with union busting in New York — The mermaid settled those charges. In addition, Starbucks “partners” in New Zealand have gone on strike to demand higher wages.

Have other bloggers tried similar challenges in the past?

Sorta, but nothing fair trade related. There was a Starbucks Challenge that preceeded us, aimed, literally, at testing Starbucks’ anti-camera rules. If you were planning to celebrate your Starbucks java with a commemorative photo, you better be willing to hand over the film. Read about it here and here.

What do you liberals have against Starbucks?

First of all, this challenge isn’t “against” Starbucks — it’s simply a discovery process. Regardless, it’s not just the lefties who have mixed feelings about Starbucks. Most recent scuffle with the right: An out-and-proud quote by Armistead Maupin, printed on some of Starbucks’ coffee cups, angered the Concerned Women for America, for allegedly promoting a homosexual agenda. Baylor, a Baptist university, got Starbucks to pull the offending cups from their dining services.

Update, 10/19/05: In fact, Starbucks is a blue company — the top people donate lots to the Democrats, none to the Republicans. And the company does some great green things we love: offering free 5 lb bags of used grounds to people who want it for garden mulch, taking some limited enviro-oriented initiatives, and upping the recycling content on their cups (via TriplePundit). Now if we could only get Starbucks to put up signs announcing their $.10 off for bringing your own cup policy… Something Anna of Bring Your Own’s been pushing for –

(Update, 1/24/06): Can I nab the Starbucks Challenge graphic to use on my site?

Please, please use it! You don’t even have to give us credit. Also — You might also be interested in this cool graphic, by Jasmine, aka The Worsted Witch. Please give her credit if you use her graphic.

(Update, 1/24/06) Does Starbucks even know about this challenge? What’s been done so far?

Starbucks contacted us about the challenge, admitted they fucked up, and sent out some emails to try and fix the “break down in customer service. Sadly, Starbucks managers don’t care to read their emails — so the “break down” isn’t fixed. So in addition to saying they’ll “keep working” on the issue — Starbucks has promised a video to train baristas on the policy — airing May 2006.

The LA-based district managers have been alil more forthcoming. They’ve promised that — if you push and push — you’ll be able to get a cup of fair trade coffee at all LA-environs by mid-March. And by mid-September 2006 — That’s right, about a year after the start of the Starbucks challenge — the LA Starbucks should have it together to immediately agree to offer you a cup of fair trade coffe on request. We’ll be on top of Starbucks to keep them good on that promise — or to report on it if they’re not.

(Update, 1/24/06) Who’re the previous winners of the Starbucks Challenge?

Our first winners: Thanks for not being a zombie and Dirty Greek. Kristin, Dec of Dec’s Rambling, and Roger, gone green won the second round. The winner of 3.0 was faboo. Justin and Ardent Eden won the Starbucks sub-Challenge 3.5. Awards for Starbucks Challenge 4.0 went to Snooble and Michael of Vibes Watch; Fletch of Two Heroes won the People’s Choice Award :)

(Update, 1/25/06) And what’ve the stats been like for the Starbucks Challenge?

For the 1st Starbucks Challenge, we had 77 successes and 58 unsuccesses worldwide: a 57% success rate. More specifically, we had 61 successes and 43 unsuccesses in the US, and 22 successes and 18 unsuccesses in California. Some of the worst stats were in Los Angeles, with only 7 successes and 11 unsuccesses.

During 2.0, we had 96 challenges taken total. I sadly forgot to do the worldwide success/unsuccess stats, but in the US, we had 23 successes and 24 unsuccesses, with 17 successes and 13 unsuccesses in California.

The 2-week long 3.0 was intended to galvanize people to sign a letter to Starbucks. Nevertheless, we had 27 challenges taken!

During the week-long Challenge 3.5, we had 19 successes out of 40 challenges taken around the world: a 48% success rate. Post 3.5, the success rate hit an all time low.

68 challenges were taken between the end of 3.5 and the end of 4.0. Of those, 35 were failures — giving the Challenge a 49% success rate. Could be better…

(Update, 1/25/05) Where are the challengers coming from?

So far, the participating states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachussets, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington DC.

But the challenge participants are all over the world! Countries participating: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UK, USA.

(Update, 8/9/06) I wrote a letter/ emailed / called / asked a Starbucks employee asking about its fair trade policies, and got a long shpiel about something called CAFE practices, which sounds even better than fair trade! Is it?

No. CAFE practices is a “certification program” developed by and for Starbucks, if that gives you any hint as to who it’ll most benefit. Not saying that CAFE practices totally suck — farmers who supply Starbucks may see some improvement in living and working condition if they participate in the CAFE practices program. But CAFE practices has few mandatory requirements — meaning lower standards than fair trade certification. Nor does CAFE practices provide much room for consumers, farmers, suppliers, etc. to have their input in shaping the program to make sure it does what it claims. And in any case, less than 25% of Starbucks’ coffee meets CAFE practices standards — a stat Starbucks tries to keep under wraps while making it seem like ALL the mermaid’s coffee’s bought through CAFE practices.

Anything else I should know about Starbucks before taking the challenge?

No, but if you must procrastinate, check out this guy’s unexplained obsession with visiting every single Starbucks in the US and Canada, minus a few hard-to-reach locations. Strange. Very strange.

(Update, 6/2/06) Also, there’s now a Starbucks action figure…

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