Seattle Times
June 29, 2009
Melissa Allison
Starbucks will officially open a farmer support center in Rwanda on Monday.
When it initially announced plans for support centers in Rwanda and Ethiopia in late 2007, both were scheduled to open in 2008. The Ethiopian support center has not opened.
Like Starbucks’ support center in Costa Rica, which opened in 2004, the Rwandan center will work with farmers, exporters and others to improve the quality of their coffee so that Starbucks can buy more of it.
It officially opens during a four-day visit by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and other executives. Their trip began today with meetings with local groups, including the Center for Treatment and Research, a research operation that houses the country’s busiest and most demanding HIV clinic. Patients there receive antiretroviral therapy, which is partly financed by a group called Red that raises funds to eliminate AIDS in Africa. Red has partnered with Starbucks, Converse, Hallmark and other companies.
This summer, Starbucks will contribute $1 to Red’s global fund for every bag it sells of an East African coffee blend called Starbucks Red. Starbucks stores also will offer products from Rwandan artisans, including African fabric tumblers and hand-sewn totes. They are coming to Starbucks through a company called Fair Winds Trading.
