This week, Starbucks announced that they are partnering with (PRODUCT)RED, making an historic multi-year commitment that will give millions of people the opportunity to generate millions of dollars for the Global Fund and save the lives of thousands of Africans living with HIV and AIDS. This surprise announcement was made by Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz on a stage before an audience of more than 10,000 Starbucks partner employees who had come from all over the world for an arena-sized company meeting.
When Schulz said the words and the audience saw the (Starbucks)RED logo, there was an immediate and deafening cheer from the Starbucks partners. (And this was before they found out that (RED) founder Bono was backstage, waiting to meet them.)
It was an amazing moment for us because it was so clear that Starbucks and their partner employees were ALREADY (RED)—(RED) 10,000 times over. They know that their company can change the world. When Bono challenged them to join the front-lines in the fight against HIV and AIDS by turning their own stores (RED), they were out of their seats again and ready to get started.
Starting on November 28th, those same Starbucks partners will be unveiling (Starbucks)RED Holiday Exclusives—every time you buy one, a nickel goes to The Global Fund. And Starbucks makes a lot of coffee, giving all of you the chance to turn those nickels into millions of dollars just by choosing (RED). And the (RED) products will just keep on coming at Starbucks so that you can keep on doing something good every day.
We’ve gotten to know some amazing people at Starbucks while planning this partnership. This week, we met 10,000 more. Okay, so you know how big Starbucks is…but you may not know how committed they are to making the world a better place.
Did you know that all 10,000 of them volunteered to rebuild homes in New Orleans this week? They did.
Did you know that they made an announcement this week to double the amount of Fair Trade coffee beans they buy each year to 40 million pounds? They did that too.
It’s all part of their core values—they call it SHARED PLANET. We call it SHA(RED) PLANET—some of the best coffee beans Starbucks buys come from countries in Africa that are faced with the threat of HIV and AIDS every day. Now, you can help them do something about it, every day.
Seeing all the store managers gathered together was a reminder that Starbucks isn’t just a big company, it’s also the actual person who makes you your coffee every day. Yesterday, that person joined (RED) and for the price of a cup of coffee, you can too. Coming this holiday season to a corner near you… BUY (RED) COFFEE, SAVE LIVES.
Jenifer Willig & Colin Brady, (RED)
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5 comments:
As I stated in my previous comments, I am NOT a Starbucks person - I'm too poor to buy their coffee.
So this news is a bit mixed for me - I'm excited for the People of Africa who will benefit from the money raised for them through Starbucks(RED)coffee. I am also sad that this will not be a way that I can regularly contribute to (RED) due to the fact that I can't afford on a regular basis $4.00 for a cup of coffee!
What I am most glad for is the fact that Starbucks has signed up for a five year commitment to stay (RED) and promote (RED) through various products that it will sell and coffees that it will create.
That is sustainability and that is what (RED) is looking for so that the Global Fund can continue to provide life-giving ARV's and other kinds of support to those who are most desparate in Africa.
So let me raise a virtual cup of peppermint mocha twist coffee to all of you at Starbucks & (RED) - let's continue on this "journey of equality" together!
ALWAYS (RED) AT HEART, debbie :)
www.mpwn-uganda.org
I think it's great that (RED) is able to utilize Starbucks' scale to spRED the word.
In reference to your post...
While I know Fair Trade certification has become recognized as *the* official way to be a responsible coffee buyer, I want to point out that Starbucks has always purchase coffee in a responsible manner with or without Fair Trade.
In fact, Starbucks' does more for farmers than what Fair Trade certification provides. You could say Starbucks coffee is "fairer trade" coffee.
So it's GREAT that Starbucks offers Fair Trade coffees (because many are familiar with Fair Trade), but ALL of Starbucks coffee (even "non" Fair Trade) is still good for the farmer and the communities the coffee is grown.
So you can enjoy every cup of Starbucks without guilt.
Is Starbucks (RED) available in the UK? If not, why not?
Stewart,
Currently (STARBUCKS)RED is not available in the UK however the partnership will expand to include participating UK stores within 2009. Please be sure to check back for any updates!
That's good news! Thanks for the response!
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