What’s the point of Starbucks having fair trade coffee if you can’t buy a cup of it?

Starbucks says a lot about supporting small farmers through fair  trade. But try buying a cup of brewed fair trade coffee in any American  Starbucks and you’re in for some blank looks and a long wait.

Fair trade fights common forms of labor exploitation including human trafficking, child labor, and other abuses. No wonder Starbucks wants to promote the fact that they source coffee  from fair trade certified farms. But walk into any Starbucks in the  U.S., and it’s likely that you won’t see a fair trade coffee on the  menu. Ask for it specifically and you’ll have to wait for a whole new  pot to be brewed before you can even get your hands around a cup of it.

Former Starbucks barista Sam Greenblatt has started a  petition on Change.org asking Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz to live up  to Starbucks’ fair trade ideals by making a fair trade option brewed and  available to every customer. Sign Sam’s petition to get a brewed fair trade option available to every American Starbucks customer, everyday.

Fair trade is able to improve the lives of small farmers by  connecting them directly to consumers — through labeling that tells  consumers where products come from and certifies the fairness of the  exchange. Without fair trade, many coffee farmers can only sell their  harvests for less than the costs of production, forcing them into a  cycle of poverty and debt.

Thanks to the enduring efforts of advocates, 100% of Starbucks’ brewed espresso sold in Europe is Fairtrade Certified. This means every cappuccino, pumpkin spice latte and caramel machiatto is ethically sourced as well as delicious.

It’s time for Starbucks to not just talk the fair trade talk, but  walk the walk by making fair trade coffee options easily available in  their U.S. stores. Sign Sam’s petition to get a brewed Fair Trade Coffee option available in every American Starbucks, everyday:

http://www.change.org/petitions/ceo-howard-shultz-offer-brewed-fair-trade-coffee-daily-in-us-stores

Thanks for being a change-maker,

Amanda and the Change.org team