For many years now, the brand Starbucks has become nearly synonymous with coffee—both as a drink and as a culture. The corporate giant has certainly done an excellent job of positioning itself and is a well-known brand across the world. However, the company is not without its problems. The name Starbucks may mean different things to different people. For some, I imagine, it means their daily stop on their way to work. To others, maybe the sweet treat they get on the weekends. Others still, perhaps Starbucks represents the large corporation that put their small, family-owned local coffee shop out of business. To me (someone who you might call a coffee snob), Starbucks represents a convenient source of less than ideal coffee when I don’t have time to make it myself or when one of my favorite local stops is not close-by. Whether you think Starbucks is the best thing ever or are someone who was disturbed by their recent adventure into racially charged news stories, the company means something even bigger than what you or I think: Starbucks may be the vanguard for positive change in the realm of big-business.
The idea of big-business is often times met with skepticism or feelings of distaste and distrust among my generation. Certainly, we see the injustice of situations like the Wells Fargo scandal and other ways we see large corporations taking advantage of the ‘little guy.’ While these situations are a reality and truly tragic, I think it is important for this current generation to keep an open mind. I believe that business strategy, at least in the corporate world, is slowly experiencing a changing of the guard, coupled with the pressure from a society that demands fairness and transparency. These changing winds require companies to be more active in society, truthful with their customers, and always ready to engage with their customers in a humane and humble way. But, what has all of this have to do with coffee? At first glance, not much. But when you look at the current coffee ‘climate’ today, you may see how Starbucks is perfectly positioned to save coffee and set an example for the rest of corporate America.
Wherever you fall on the coffee drinker spectrum, there has been a large issue that could affect all of us. In recent years, a fungus commonly known as Coffee Rust has been plaguing and killing coffee trees—subsequently, coffee farms have been suffering a great deal. Without getting too scienc-y, this fungus apparently inhibits the growth of leaves, rendering the coffee trees unable to receive the proper sunlight they need to grow and produce their fruit (Arthur Karuletwa). Obviously, this leaves (no pun intended) farmers with little to no crop, not only reducing the amount of coffee we customers can have, but also threatens the farmers’ living. Enter Starbucks. Starbucks, as the large corporate giant that it is, has a wealth of resources they can use to help combat this coffee fungus, an obvious threat to their business. Rather than hoarding research and resources to themselves, Starbucks is doing quite the opposite of what you might think a large corporation would do. Rather than using their resources to create a competitive advantage for themselves, Starbucks is fighting to save coffee on a level that benefits all: farmers, Starbucks, and other brands that purchase coffee. They are currently researching “rust-resistant” (Karuletwa) coffee trees for farmers, creating sustainability and longevity for farms. Also, the coffee giant is donating coffee plants to farms affected by the fungus (Starbucks News Room). Lastly, Starbucks is committed to providing over 100 million healthy trees for farmers by the year 2025 (Starbucks News Room). What we can see here is that Starbucks is using a three-pronged approach to battle the coffee fungus, enabling farmers to keep their livelihood, coffee sellers to stay in business, and for customers to continue purchasing their favorite drink.
What Starbucks is doing today would be considered foolish 50 years ago. Old business strategy mandates that you keep any advantages to yourself rather than sharing it with others. However, we see Starbucks literally giving competitors the tools to potentially steal their profits. Hopefully, Starbucks represents a change that the business world desperately needs. No longer should businesses only be concerned with their profits, but also the well-being of the industry as a whole and the individual people that make up the industry. Starbucks’ efforts will save countless farmers and small coffee shops from going out of business. I hope that other large corporations will see this and be willing to change their strategies. Just as I think it is important for us to keep an open mind about coffee, I think it’s equally important to keep an open mind about business. This is for both the business professional and the skeptical consumer. Perhaps we are now seeing the positive change we need in today’s modern business environment. Hopefully we will begin to see for-profit business and capitalism as not a way to exploit people and maximize profits, but to use the efficiencies granted to us to help people and create a lasting, positive culture. Though I may not be the biggest fan of Starbucks' coffee, I am a fan of what Starbucks is doing for coffee.
References:
https://1912pike.com/a-cup-of-corrosion/
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail/starbucks-says-it-will-buy-coffee-trees-for-rust-afflicted-farmers/
https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-raises-15million-trees-for-farmers
https://news.starbucks.com/press-releases/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees
https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-mexico-donates-coffee-plants-to-farmers-in-chiapas