Coffee is a worldwide cash crop of which demand has exponentially increased over the years. “Coffee is (after oil) the world’s second most important traded commodity” (Cleaver 61). Competing coffee brewing companies wage war on offering the freshest, best tasting coffee the market has to offer. With such stiff competition there must be enough coffee beans deemed to be good enough in quality to supply the increasing demand. Starbucks can be considered one of today’s top competitors if not thee top coffee manufacturer presently in business. This successful company has had a huge impact on the coffee industry as well as the world. They have gone through great length to provide consumers with an excellent product as well as create a legacy that shows how to best go about running a massive corporation while keeping the environment clean and healthy. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz made it a point that in order to create the best brew, the best coffee beans were required. Starbucks utilizes only the highest of quality beans for their coffee products, which requires them to carry out a rigorous quality control process. Coffee beans vary in complexity and taste depending on where they are grown. Essentially, the harsher the environment the coffee is grown the better the over all taste. “Robusta beans are popular among some cheaper coffee distributors because they are grown in a more stable and predictable environment resulting in a cheaper price and taste” (Onward 83). Robusta beans have been domesticated, meaning they are “deliberately planted, protected, cared for, and used by humans” (The Human Mosaic 267) Arabica coffee beans are grown on steep mountains in high climates or in dry lands with intense heat. This stress produces b... ... middle of paper ... ...healthy environment, economy, or political state is left up to those who buy and distribute coffee. While the model that Starbucks follows to come by and sell their coffee may not be perfect it is at least a step in the right direction. Works Cited Cleaver`, Tom. Economics: The Basics. 2ndnd ed. New York: Routledge, 2011. N. pag. Print. Domosh, Mona, Roderick Neumann, Patricia Price, and Terry Jordan-Bychkov. The Human Mosaic: A Cultural Approach to Human Geography. 11thth ed. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2010. N. pag. Print. Kamola, Isaac A. "The Global Coffee Economy And The Production Of Genocide In Rwanda." Third World Quarterly 28.3 (2007): 571-592. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. Schultz, Howard, and Joanne Gordon. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. New York: Rodale, 2011. N. pag. Print.
The key to its success lies not only in the quality of its products but also the ability to differentiate itself from the competition. With Starbucks, it has always been about quality. The company manages stringent quality control measures for sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting processes as well as customer service and ancillary products. Furthermore, differentiation is key to market control and Starbucks is unquestioningly the most differentiated specialized coffee brands in the world. From the design of its coffee shops to the music played to the types of products offered, everything has a touch of uniqueness.
The most important part of the cup of coffee, the coffee beans, is typically harvested from South America, mainly because of the fact that Starbucks uses Arabica beans (Weinberg 1), which is dependent on a temperate climate that exists on the majority of the continent. The country that provides the biggest market supply of coffee beans for Starbucks is Brazil ...
Fellmann, Getis, and Getis. Human Geography, Sixth Edition, Updated Edition. McGraw Hill. New York, 2001.
When the 1980’s rolled around, it was a thriving company, in the Seattle area. However, the co-founders began to have other interests and were involved in other careers simultaneously. Despite that, the company was about to undergo a major turnaround. A man by the name of Howard Schultz started to pursue an interest in the company. He noticed that the coffee shop had a wonderful environment.
Knox, P. L., & Marston, S. A. (2012). Human geography: Places and regions in global context (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
When Starbucks started their target market were people who enjoyed coffee not just for the energy boost that they got from the caffeine, but people who enjoyed sitting down and drinking a well-prepared cup of coffee. Upon visiting Italy and falling in love with the coffee bars and the experience that they offered, Schultz envisioned a place between home and work where you could just sit and enjoy your coffee. Starbucks wanted to control their coffee from “raw green bean to the steaming cup” this meant that they had to talk with their farmers to make sure the quality was up to their standards. They
Schultz, H. (2011). Onward: How Starbucks fought for its life without losing its soul. New York: Rodale.
Business was good, but it was not without its problems. There was the political upheaval in the Middle East, followed by further tension after then CEO Howard Schultz commented on growing anti-Semitism in the region. Their integrity came under fire when certain Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) accused them of purchasing coffee beans under questionable social and economic conditions. These situations, together with difficult economic times globally, meant that Starbucks was likely going to take a hit somewhere. Eventually, they shut down their Israeli operations altogether.
The essence of Starbucks and its caffeinated beverages subsidiaries lies in the quality of the materials used mainly coffee. We are focused on purchasing 100 percent morally sourced espresso in collaboration with Conservation International. To enhance efficiency and manageability, we share our exploration and methods on producing better coffee and assets through our Farmer Support Centers—placed in
From the very beginning Starbucks has been driven to higher standards and to be known for their commitment to the environment as well as their delicious coffee. They call it “corporate citizenship”. Since 2001 Starbucks has been assessing their environmental footprint and making the results known to the general public in the hopes of inspiring others in a report called the “Shared Planet” report. From the time they opened their first store in 1971 the company has developed and committed itself to programs in ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, community involvement, coffee purchasing & farmer support, recycling & reusable cups, energy & water conservation, and “green” building.
The strategic vision that Howard Schultz had for Starbucks was "Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow". This s...
An article in the Seattle Post, describes the alliance that Starbucks is making to ensure that a sustainable supply of high quality of coffee is produce in Latin America. "Starbucks President and CEO Orin Smith said the alliance is partly his company's effort to pass on the "high price" of a cup of coffee to farmers." (Lee, 2004). He states that the high price enables them to pay the highest price to the farmers. Though the high prices to suppliers can demonstrate that money get to farmers with being diverted. Starbucks overall goal with this alliance is to buy 60 percent of its coffee under the standards agreed upon by 2007. "The agreement reflects the growing power of the premium coffee market and efforts to exploit it for the benefit of small farmers" (Lee, 2004).
De, Blij Harm J., and Peter O. Muller. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. New York: J. Wiley, 1997. 340. Print.
When I saw this discussion, I couldn’t help but think of Starbucks and the impact they’ve made throughout their 45 years of establishment. I worked with them for about 7 years and saw how unique they were from your everyday coffee and latte spots. A retail company with thousands of coffee shops in the US as well as in other countries, this particular retailer has been able to catch the eyes of all ages as well as locations throughout the world. For example, today college students utilize Starbucks locations to study rather than go to a nearby library. Starbucks is also known for its best coffee and espresso drinks (Latte or Frappuccino) and with one of its delicious espresso 's any student or just a person stopping in to enjoy its lounge area where there is free Wi-Fi is awesome! Starbucks lifecycle has made a 360 turn around and been revamped twice to accommodated the growing market. Customizing their brand to fit more in with everything and not just one thing. By doing this they’ve created multiple product lifecycles within their own lifecycle as a corporate company.
This is achieved through the selection of low impact materials, product lifetime optimization as well as through reuse, rebuilding, recycling or disposal at the end of it life cycle. In accordance with Rochman (2018), the strategy of the Starbucks, which is one of the largest and most successful coffee companies. In order to achieve the best and most efficient viticulture we have to setting guidelines for the cultivation, processing, supply, quality of each cup of coffee. First, we will try to co-operate with a non-profit corporation such as C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices for effective environmental protection. C.A.F.E. Practices is “a comprehensive set of social, economic, environmental and quality guidelines that dictate how coffee should be ethically sourced” (Rochman, 2018). In addition, we will start from the first and important part of the coffee plantation, staining farmers. “Kwik Koffee” has its plantation one in Kenya and the other in Colombia and also buys coffee from Columbia and Kenya, from independent growers, local small coffee growers. We plan to invest over the years more than 100 million pounds to the coffee farmers and committees. We will try to give as