I’m so shocked about this that it’ll take me a lil while to digest what it means for the fair trade movement, but guess what: McDonald’s is gonna sell fair trade coffee!
For now, let me just say that Starbucks better get their shit together. Surely the mermaid behemoth wants to do more for the coffee farmers than McDonald’s?
The deets: McDonald’s will begin by serving fair trade coffee in 658 of its restaurants in New England and Albany, NY — beginning on Nov. 1, my birthday. Coincidence? ;)
And — there’ll be none of this hassling the barista shit. Participating locations will be switching to 100 percent fair trade certified organic coffee from Newman’s Own Organics, roasted by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. No reviews of the coffee yet, but Green Mountain’s known for roasting some yummy stuff.
Starbucks — What’s your move?
**Update: There’ll prolly be a slight price increase: “Green Mountain executives said they understood there probably would be a 10- to 15-cent price increase.” That’s still like half the price of a tall cup of non-fair trade, non-organic coffee at Starbucks.
**Update, 10/29/05: BTW — for those trying to cut back on caffeine intake — McDonald’s will be offering both regular and decaf (see paragraph 7).
October 28th, 2005 at 9:17 am
oh shit! i can’t believe mcdonalds is going free trade! i still won’t be buying from there… but it’s an interesting move on maccas part!
October 28th, 2005 at 11:07 am
I haven’t been to McDonald’s for years — I mean, I’ve read Fast Food Nation and watched Supersize Me, and I get grossed out pretty easily — so it was really shocking to me to hear about such a progressive development on their part!
Compare this to the current “wait 4 mins and maybe we’ll make you one for about 2x the McDonald’s price” policy at Starbucks. And while Starbucks constantly claims (PDF) that “Starbucks and the Fair Trade movement share common goals,” McDonald’s, as far as I know, has never made such a bold claim –
October 28th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
I haven’t been to McD’s in years except once at hte request of my kid who’d just broken her tailbone and wanted a Happy Meal as “comfort food.” I figured, one happy meal would not kill her arteries.
Too bad they won’t sell the FT Green Mountain coffee here in LA, if htey sold it near my house (overland/Venice) I’d so buy it from that McD’s in the mornings. And pointedly let Starbucks KNOW (there is a SB’s half a block away) why I was switching.
Green Mountain coffee is teh yummeh. They make this “waffle” flavored coffee? OMG. Sex in a cup. Gas stations in Vermont and New Hampshire serve GM coffee, it’s excellent. We skipped the higher priced SB’s when back east and stuck to the local gas/mini mart. I mean, imagine. Gas station coffee that is better than Starbucks? Craaaaazy. My friend denied me Starbucks the first morning out there, insisted on taking me to the gas station for coffee. I thought he was NUTS. After that, I asked to go!
October 28th, 2005 at 12:49 pm
Is this really true? That’s a nice move by McD. I wonder why only NewEngland and NY. Also I wonder if it the actual “McDonald’s” restaurant where you get junk food or is it the “Boston Market” chain (which is wholly owned by McDonald’s corporation). Boston Market serves a LOT better food and slightly costly too. Is there any press release by McD yet?
October 28th, 2005 at 9:38 pm
Pillager — Interesting about the yummy gas station coffees! Maybe 7 Eleven will take a hint?! Yummy organic fair trade coffee for 1/2 the price of a Starbucks tall cup —
As far as I can tell from the press releases and news articles, these will be real McD’s, not Boston Market. Surprisingly, McD’s hasn’t put out a release of their own — But it’s all over the news now…
October 28th, 2005 at 11:21 pm
Yup, it’s true: there will be Fair Trade Certified, organic coffee under the golden arches… in New England, anyway. We’re hopeful, of course, that it will prove a spectacular success for McDonald’s, and they’ll adopt Newman’s Own Organics coffees in *all* of their restaurants.
BTW - I’ve been following the progress of the “Starbucks Challenge” and hope you keep up the great work! Fair Trade is doing great things for folks in coffee growing communities… and when you do something as simple as ask for it when you buy coffee, you’re sending a clear message to all of us in the specialty coffee trade.
Best wishes,
-deCadmus
www.bloggle.com
made in vermont
a.k.a.
Doug Cadmus
The Web Guy
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
October 31st, 2005 at 11:16 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Doug! I really hope it makes it way over the rest of the country too :) Was in Wild Oats tonight and saw a TON of Green Mountain Coffee — Thanks for the hard work over there!!!!