Starbucks and (RED) today announced a multi-year partnership that will give coffee lovers a chance to do good every day.
Throughout the holiday season, Starbucks will contribute five cents from the sale of any of (Starbucks) RED Exclusive beverage (the three beverages that make up the Starbucks popular holiday trio) at all of their US and Canadian stores to the Global Fund to invest in AIDS programs in Africa.
“(RED) is making remarkable progress in the worldwide effort to address AIDS in Africa,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO. “We have a deep partnership with coffee growing regions in Africa. We are proud to partner with our customers to contribute toward an AIDS-free Africa.”
Schultz joined Bono, co-founder of (RED), for today’s announcement in front of 10,000 Starbucks partners (employees) at the company's 2008 Leadership Conference in New Orleans.
“(RED) is coming to a corner near you thanks to Starbucks. I’m very excited to be able to say that,” said Bono, co-founder of (RED). “The business of Starbucks with roots in Africa and branches all over the world is an ideal fit for (RED). It’s pretty mind-blowing to think that millions of people can buy (RED) going about their daily lives and in doing so raise millions of dollars to fight AIDS in Africa. That’s not a bad hit from your caffeine.”
(Starbucks) RED Exclusive Holiday beverages go on sale November 27, 2008 and continue through January 2, 2009.
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18 comments:
omg! this is brillant! i'm going to tell everyone i can possibly tell, about this!
way to go RED, way to go Starbucks!
What an awesome idea! Charity partnerships are always a great thing!
James H
http://serviceafol.blogspot.com/
Are these fairly traded coffees?
Wow - this is GREAT news! Although I would have loved to have seen a longer partnership between Starbucks and (RED), this is a wonderful step forward in moving (RED) more into the mainstream of the USA.
I will admit that I am NOT a Starbucks person due to my limited income but for those who can afford Starbucks, it provides them with the opportunity to contribute to the Global Fund and our fight against AIDS & extreme poverty in Africa.
I think that I'll have to stop into Starbucks on a frequent basis during the time that (RED) is partne(red) with them to try the gingersnap and the peppermint mocha ones.
Brilliant idea, (RED). Please keep on doing what you are doing!
ALWAYS (RED) AT HEART, debbie :)
www.mpwn-uganda.org
I am a Starbucks store manager and I couldn't be more proud of this announcement today!! I am honored to work for a company that gives so much!!!
I just bought new (red) products at the Gap in Hollywood when I saw Bono honor BB King. Not only do I buy hund(red)s of (red) products, I go to Starbucks almost daily. This is inc(red)ible. Bono just spoke about the (red) campaign in LA last week, now New Orleans!
@valentina---I'm the same way! I always buy (Red) products because they're well-made and contribute to an absolute great cause! I mean, just by shopping I'm helping people with HIV/AIDS better their lives. What could be better?
Also, I too go to Starbucks more frequently than I care to admit :) but now I can do good with my coffee! This is so amazing! I almost screamed when I saw this, literally.
that's awesome! great partnership! can't wait!
Beth,
In response to your question, there is one coffee that we sell that is fair trade (Cafe Estima). Also mentioned at our leadership conference was that Starbucks is doubling our commitment to purchase fair trade coffees.
I'm a huge Starbucks fan; my daughter worked as a barista at Starbucks before she left for Taiwan and we were all impressed with how they treat their employees - she had an amazing experience there. Plus, November 27 is my birthday! What a great day to roll out a new way of giving between two awesome partners!
Thanks.
I'm a big supporter of Red, DATA, One, etc.
Let's get serious here though... $.05?! really? we're talking about a product that sells for thousands of times it's value due to amazing branding and marketing.
Would it have hurt their bottom line too much to do say $.20?
and only on select (Red) beverages?
Why couldn't they just do it for all drinks across the board for 3 months?
Red is brilliant, Bono is brilliant, the companies that partner with Red get a huge PR boost, but I'm sorry this is just coming across as insincere. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in negotiations for this.
It is fairly traded coffee! Even if it is not fair trade certified (which is very costly for the farmer to become) the price paid is at or above fair trade prices. The partnership is not just for the holiday season, this is just the beginning!!!
No Starbucks is not fair trade coffee.
I am a partner and I am excited that Starbucks is finally trying to take initiative and better the community and the world again. For a long time, we lost sight of the values Starbucks claims to have and this a step back in the right direction. Now all we need to do is recycle!!
i love starbuck's and the work we do to better the community and world we live in !!mgr
starbucks is the best company to work for and am proud of our relationship with Red. We do so much for the commumities we live in and for the Countries our coffee comes from. Partners of Starbucks should be proud of this partnership and embrace the possiblities and impact this can make in Africa.
This is a great idea, but couldn't Starbuck's afford a dime instead of a nickel?
This is so awesome! Now instead of just donating $1 to the cause, I can buy 20 cups of coffee instead!
Justin and Joanne,
While 5 cents may not same like a lot, any amount of money to the Global Fund is significant and can help make a difference. To put it in perspective about 43 cents a day is all it takes to kepp someone with HIV in Africa alive - that's just 9 (STARBUCKS)RED beverages, and there's a lot of people out there who get their daily Starbucks fix. Plus Starbucks sells about 50 million cups of coffee a day. If even a fraction of those are (STARBUCKS)RED EXCLUSIVE beverages then potentially millions will be delivered to the fund.
And since today December 1st is World Aids day Starbucks is contributing 5 cents to the Global Fund from the sale of every hand-crafted beverage!
And all you have to do is buy a cup of coffee. At no extra cost to you.
Thanks for your support!
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