Visiting the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle last week was like a party for my senses. Delectable sights, sounds and smells emanated throughout the re-purposed historic train station Starbucks calls home. As part of my MBA program, my cohort had the privilege of visiting with several Starbucks executives–and tasting lots of delicious coffee, of course. Sadly, however, despite my hopes, there were no vanilla latte water fountains. The visit has got me thinking.
Have you ever been a part of a church service or conversation when someone said something like, “You selfishly spend $20/month on coffee purchases — imagine what good that money could do if you gave it to a non-profit!” I’ve heard it many times and am sure I have even said it more than once. There is some truth to that comment, and I am not writing this post to justify excessive consumerism, but I am increasingly convinced that is a misleading admonition.
Your purchases, be it for your favorite coffee, the car you drive or the computer you are using right now, are doing good. Did you know that Starbucks provides wages and health insurance to over 115,000 individuals people and are supporting over 75,000 rural coffee farmers throughout Latin America and Africa? Learning about the Starbucks Farmer Support program (see video below) was like watching a HOPE International marketing video — incredible how much of an impact the gourmet coffee craze is making on the lives of poor rural farmers.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlQenGBQaf0&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]
Many times we assume that all our spending is selfish and detrimental to the world…as if only money given to charities is “money well spent.” That’s just not true. Look at India, Chile, Brazil, Hong Kong and even Rwanda. These countries are seeing massive numbers of people’s livelihoods improved and are seeing the flourishing of many of their communities. Many factors have contributed to these countries’ collective emergence, but the engine of entrepreneurship is leading the charge. We often judge the worth of businesses by how much they give charitably to charities. In my view, the primary good they contribute to our society is their provision of valuable products, services and meaningful employment to the world–from the smallest “mom and pop” shops to the world’s largest companies. Their donations are great too, but it’s their inherent value which is doing the most good.
Next time you buy your white chocolate mocha, use your Blackberry, or read your Bible, think about the people whose livelihoods, perhaps across the globe, you are supporting. Sip that latte with your chin-up. Your habit is putting food on the table for over 75,000 rural farmers in the developing world.
Dig into the ethical policies of your favorite companies, as you are voting with each of your purchases and charitable donations. Are you voting for candidates you believe in?
I appreciate the balance that you have offered in the conversation about consumerism. I did have a question and hoped that you could help me find some resources to answer it. ( I just realized that the video might help…haven’t watched it yet). Does Starbucks ensure that all of their Farmers in Developing Nations are treated fairly? I have just heard several people say the opposite and I just now realized that I haven’t really done a lot of research into it. Hoping you have some insight.
Great read with some great thoughts. Another option is Crown Coffee (crowncoffee.com). They give 15% of each sale to the buyer’s choice of the non-profits they partner with.
Ben, great question. We talked for about an hour with one of their coffee purchasers about this very question–and we asked her some tough questions. Starbucks is the world’s largest certified Fairtrade coffee purchaser. Yet, only 10% of their total coffee purchases are certified Fairtrade.
However, there is another third-party validation called CAFE (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Press, which has very similar standards to Fairtrade, and between Fairtrade and CAFE Press, over 80% meets at least one of these standards. Their goal is to have 100% of their coffee meet these standards by 2015.
I’m sure they have room to grow, but I left very encouraged by their progress and their goals. See this site for more: http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/learn-more/goals-and-progress/coffee-purchasing
Let’s talk more soon!
Well as I read that with a Starbucks vanilla latte on my desk, I might be a bit biased. No really, I’m a huge Starbucks fan. That being said, however, I think the average US giver/consumer (myself included) could stand to be challenged on level of intentionality in both spending and giving. I think spending and giving have a lot to do with celebration and sacrifice, intentionality and perspective. I don’t think it’s wrong to spend money on coffee (I do it regularly) and I don’t think it’s wrong to give up coffee in order to support ministry/non-profit work. In fact, I think both are often real “goods” in GOD’s economy.
But the deeper issues you talk about here: the good of free enterprise, of business, of capitalism…I deeply resonate with that. There’s something not quite right when we minimize business to a means to the end of giving away money, or a means to the end of earning money. Business can and should enrich the community through the product or service provided, the jobs created, the connections to other points on the supply chain (coffee farmers in the developing world). Thanks for contributing to the conversation on those points; we need more voices in this arena.
Cheers to more Starbucks. Here’s to a latte on me in Denver next week!
Chris,
I appreciated your take on this. It emphasized to me the value that work has. God created us with work being a part of who we are, and He gave value and dignity to work. Your thoughts about my purchase affirming another’s work and allowing them to make a living – really resonates with the value that God has placed on work – that it is good. Thanks for your thoughts, Chris! And for the challenge to know how we are spending our money & I would add time, too.
As one that works for an organization that depends on folks charitable donations, I am really grateful for people like yourself that can express with words the value making purchases like these. My family and I are committed to making fair trade purchases when we can. I love the thought that a purchase here is indeed helping someone in need on the other side of the globe. I trust it is not just warm and fuzzys, but it is true. Thanks again.
David, Grace, Clay & Katie – Thanks for your warm feedback…and for adding a lot to what I shared in this post.
Keep in mind, many poor people in poor countries compete by accepting lower wages and worse treatment–quite willingly, and for good reason; the alternative is much worse.
Usually, good governments in poor countries will steadily and consistently raise living standards, even if at a slow rate. Bad governments produce sheer hell, and even businesses find they cannot invest in such a country for long.
It is wrong to fund a country more then its productivity, as that country becomes eternally indebted to you–a form of debt-slavery (this is why the IMF and World Bank has done so much debt forgiveness in the past decade).