Starbucks is a chain of coffee houses that are spread over several countries. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker as a coffee bean store and it was converted into a coffee shop after being sold to Howard Schultz in the early 1980s. It has its headquarters in Seattle, Washington, and has become the world’s largest coffee house chain today. Let’s know “Where does Starbucks get its products from?”
Starbucks has developed a set of guidelines called CAFE Practices to follow ethical sourcing. It adheres to these ethical codes while procuring coffee directly from coffee farms in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala, Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. It gets its syrups and tea from Nestle, and milk products from Dean Foods. Read on to find out more details about Starbucks’ suppliers and its procurement policy.
Starbucks’ Ethical Sourcing Policy
Over the years, It has developed guidelines, called CAFE (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices that cover the requirements of the company as well as the well-being of the workers and the environment as a whole. For example, Starbucks makes sure the coffee it procures is not grown by employing child labor or in inhumane working conditions. It also takes care whether the minimum wage requirements are met and the rights of the workers are protected or not. At the same time, their sources only high-quality coffee and ensures complete transparency regarding the payment the farmers receive in return for the coffee procured by it. It also concerns itself with environmental issues by putting in place some measures to protect water quality, preserve biodiversity, conserve water, and manage waste.
Starbucks’ sources for its various products:
- Coffee: Starbucks alone seems to procure three percent of the Arabica coffee beans sold worldwide. It sources its coffee beans from the following locations while following CAFE Practices that are meant to conform to its principles of ethical sourcing.
- South America: Brazil and Columbia,
- Central America: Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico
- Africa: Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania
- Asia: Indonesia, China, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, India, Timor, and Vietnam and also from Saudi Arabia.
- Milk and milk products: Dean Foods, a subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America, supplies milk and milk products to Starbucks. Also, they are known to have created special recipes for lactose-intolerant people.
- Tea: Starbucks uses Teavana Tea that is supplied by a subsidiary of Nestle. In fact, Nestle has got recognition for its Teavana brand among the customers, due to its being sold by them.
- Syrups: they gets custom-made syrups from Fontana, which is also a subsidiary of Nestle. Looks like Nestle and they have done quite well for each other.
- Breakfast sandwiches: It seems that a company called Premium Brands supplies sandwiches to Starbucks. Yes, they are not prepared in-house at Starbucks.
- Cake pops: They seem to come from a company called SROriginals or Steven Charles Dessert Company.
- Ready To Drink Products: Guess what? It is PepsiCo that manufactures and supplies the Ready To Drink line of beverages to Starbucks.
- Property: Although it is the odd one on the list, it is still the most important investment for any company. Most Starbucks properties in the United States are leased by Regency Centers which is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Their locations are mostly near major market areas and shopping centers in prosperous areas. In Canada, most of Starbucks properties are leased by a company called First Capital Realty which is headquartered in Toronto.
Fun Fact!
Did you know? The founders of Starbucks seem to have named it after Starbuck, a character from Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick. Although they brushed it off, saying it was only coincidental, it is very likely to have evoked the romance of the open seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Starbucks use Torani Syrup?
Although many have felt that Starbucks might be using Torani, it does not. It uses custom-made syrups that are supplied by Fontana, which is a subsidiary of Nestle.
- Can you buy Starbucks’ Syrups?
At Starbucks’ stores, you can buy classic ones like Vanilla, Hazelnut and Caramel provided they have stock. You can buy these syrups from grocery stores as well. But when it comes to premium flavor syrups such as Pumpkin and Cinnamon, they are not usually offered for sale. You can also find the nutrition information on their website.
- Why does Starbucks coffee taste burnt?
The burnt taste is mainly because the coffee brewed at Starbucks is more concentrated. It is also possible that the coffee beans at Starbucks are dark-roasted, not burnt. If you are accustomed to less concentrated or bland coffees, such an intense taste may make you feel that the coffee is burnt or bitter.
