In recent years, coffee plantations in Mexico have been affected by a fungus called “ Roya ,” which harms the plant and does not allow the process of photosynthesis , and thus, hinders the ripening of the fruit. This harms coffee farmers and their production directly.
Roya has had a negative impact on communities that live from this industry , and that is why, since 2014 , Starbucks created an initiative in Mexico called “ We All Sow Coffee ,” ( Todos Sembramos Café ) with the purpose of s upporting coffee farmers through the donation of coffee plants resistant to Roya and hence, contribute to reestablishing coffee plantations affected by this fungus.
This program is both an example and an opportunity to acknowledge the work and effort behind the production chain of coffee, since many factors are involved in it to obtain a cup of coffee of the highest quality , like the work of each coffee farmer and how they care for the plants, for a coffee plant takes from 3 to 4 years to ripen and produce coffee cherries .
“ Todos Sembramos Café ” is a program that flourishes and strengthens day by day, being an example and inspiration to create similar projects like “ OneTreeForEveryBag ” in the United States . Both programs have donated more than 10 million plants resistant to Roya to Mexican coffee farmers. The donations made through this program help affected coffee farmers recover their production and reduce significantly the risk of harm to their harvests.
All the support has been thanks to the contribution of partners and clients through donations in Starbucks stores all over the country. We can all contribute to the cause by buying half a pound of coffee from the coffee core line of Starbucks. Each bag donates MXN $10 , and it is available throughout the year.
During the campaign of “Todos Sembramos Café” ( from July 8th to September 30th ), clients can also buy coffee or donate MXN $10 directly in the cash register.
By combining efforts, this year the program has been able to support coffee farmers from Chiapas and, for the first time, from Oaxaca .
Starbucks
works day by day so that each of the cups of coffee served in their stores is of the highest quality . It is through their “ Prácticas C.A.F.E. ” that they guarantee economic, social, quality and environmental standards that all their coffee producers and providers must comply with through a third-party verification system. Currently, the program “Prácticas C.A.F.E.” includes more than 300,000 coffee farmers in 25 countries .
In addition, 99% of the coffee bought by Starbucks is supplied ethically , and the remaining 1% is a great incentive so that each day better practices are performed to reach 100%. This means that every time a client purchases a cup of coffee in any Starbucks around the world, you can be sure that:
Likewise, through their Support Centers for Producers , located in different parts of the world and in Mexico in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas , Starbucks looks for producers to receive technical training and tools to reduce production costs, reduce plagues and diseases, as well as improving quality and increase the output of their coffee.
These are just some of the practices performed by Starbucks to take comprehensive care of the production of the coffee they offer. They do not set aside the worth of the labor , the care of the environment and the economic and social responsibility , among others.
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