At the Costa Rica Farmer Support Center, Starbucks research and development agronomist Sara Bogantes is fighting for the future of coffee

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On a recent morning at Hacienda Alsacia, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/starbucks-farm-research-and-innovation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks coffee and research farm in Costa Rica</a>, agronomist Sara Bogantes walks through the outdoor plant nursery, studying the rows of coffee plants at various stages of growth – from three months old and just sprouting to three years old and about to burst into first harvest.&nbsp;&nbsp;

To help cultivate and develop the next generation of coffee plants. To find those hybrids and varietals that have the elusive combination of good taste, high productivity and natural resistance to disease and climate change. And every day, with science, to fight for the future of coffee.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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“I’m a fourth-generation coffee farmer, coffee is in my blood,” Bogantes says. “I love the connection with the farmers, but at the same time, I love making this connection through new tools, new varieties, new solutions.”&nbsp;

Bogantes works at the Costa Rica Farmer Support Center, one of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-farmer-support-centers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10 that Starbucks has opened around the world</a>. There, she manages the “core collection” – 617 different coffee hybrids and varietals, available for free to any coffee farmer through the Starbucks open-source agronomy program.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Currently, about 3 million coffee seeds per year are distributed from the core collection to farmers in Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica – whether they sell to Starbucks or not.&nbsp;&nbsp;

About 230 hybrids in the core collection are being newly evaluated. Bogantes is part of a research and development team trying to help find the strongest and best among them.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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They send leaf clippings for analysis to a laboratory in Sweden, to get early genetic clues about which are more resistant to coffee rust and anthracnose, fungal diseases that kill coffee plants. They run tests to see how the plants process and absorb nutrients, physically examine root systems and leaf structures, and taste early samples from those producing coffee cherries.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After the team identifies those that show the most promise, Bogantes works with labs on making micro-cuttings and tissue cultures, techniques which can speed up propagation and distribution. Stronger plants in the ground, faster, means more income for farmers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

She also works closely with Carlos Mario Rodriguez, Starbucks head of global research and development, as part of the overall Farmer Support Center mission to directly train farmers and set up model farms based on <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/">C.A.F.E. practices</a> around ethical sourcing and sustainability, where all this knowledge can be practically disseminated, and farmers can see for themselves how to create optimal conditions on their own farms.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“She's very good with teaching farmers, guiding them, because of the experience that she has,” Rodriguez says. “Having a young woman supporting and interacting with farmers is very important, and also is encouraging many young people to just keep working in coffee.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bogantes, 35, grew up on her family’s coffee farm in nearby San Isidro de Alajuela. She was deeply impacted when an epidemic of coffee rust, in 2014, killed off almost all her family’s coffee trees. She was in the U.S. at the time, working at an internship, when she received the urgent phone call.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I remember the weather was very cloudy. The day was so dark. It’s raining, cold,” she says, recalling the day she arrived back home. “And when I went to the coffee plantation, I remember looking at all the coffee trees, completely destroyed.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“You need to control your emotions because your parents are completely destroyed, and you need to give them support. You are feeling completely destroyed too, inside, but you need to be optimistic because you need to be the person to be the light.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

That, and a similar moment several years later in Puerto Rico, after she saw how Hurricanes Maria and Irma almost wiped out the country’s coffee industry, have underscored for Bogantes the urgency of researching and finding solutions. It’s been a theme her entire life, from her early internships in Brazil and the U.S. to her more recent work with nonprofits like World Coffee Research and TechnoServe. She joined Starbucks two years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Nothing makes me feel happier than seeing the faces of the coffee producers smile, transmitting hope and supporting them in believing that there is a future in coffee,” Bogantes says. “I feel like I’m living my dreams, but if we want to ensure coffee for the next 50 years, we don’t have that much time. This is my challenge right now.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Meet the women leading in coffee around the globe

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From coffee farms to coffee stores, and lots of points in between, we're spotlighting 12 women at Starbucks who are crucial to the coffee business – baristas, store managers, business directors, agronomists, roasters, leaders in sustainability and ethical sourcing, and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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At the Costa Rica Farmer Support Center, Starbucks research and development agronomist Sara Bogantes is fighting for the future of coffee.

On International Women's Day, Starbucks celebrates the women leading the way in the coffee business

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On International Women’s Day, Starbucks celebrates the women leading the way in the coffee business

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Today, Starbucks hosted its 30th&nbsp;annual meeting of shareholders virtually. Mellody Hobson, Starbucks Board of Directors chair, joined Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive officer, for opening remarks following today’s news that Johnson made the personal decision to retire from Starbucks after 13 years of service.

Following opening remarks, Johnson, joined by several members of the leadership team and green apron partners (employees) from around the world, went on to outline Starbucks continued investments and aspirations for people and the planet, and the company’s optimism for a future rooted in humanity, fueled by innovation, and architected by green apron partners.

Here are the important things to know about today’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders:

Starbucks announces leadership transition

Earlier today,&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-announces-leadership-transition/">Starbucks announced that Kevin Johnson intends to retire</a>&nbsp;after a 13-year tenure at the company, including the last five years as ceo. Johnson will transition from his current role effective April 4, 2022 and will continue to serve as a Starbucks partner and special consultant to the company and Board of Directors through September. To ensure seamless stewardship of the company until a permanent successor is named, the Board has appointed Howard Schultz as interim chief executive officer, effective April 4, 2022.

Building on the rich heritage of the company, Johnson established the People Positive, Planet Positive and Profit Positive framework that seeks to create a better world for Starbucks partners, farmers, customers and the communities it serves. He expanded the company’s reach through the Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, which now operates in nearly 80 markets, and established and executed the Growth at Scale agenda that significantly increased shareholder value.

Helping customers and partners divert waste from the landfill

Starbucks has spent the last few years testing, learning, and preparing to scale initiatives that help protect the planet as the company looks to a resource positive future. With a focus on waste reduction, Starbucks announced customers will be able to use their own personal reusable cup for every Starbucks visit in the U.S. and Canada – including in-store, in the drive-thru and via mobile order and pay – by the end of 2023. This is a big deal because currently, personal reusable cups are only accepted in-store. By 2025, Starbucks wants to create a cultural movement towards reusables by giving customers easy access to either a personal or a Starbucks-provided reusable cup for every visit.

And because Starbucks knows that putting items in the correct bin has a huge impact on diverting waste from the landfill, the company has also launched a waste and recycling app, developed by partners to navigate the ins-and-outs of recycling guidelines for their local store. Across Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada, there are over 440 unique ways to recycle, and previous to the app’s launch, over 8,000 of our stores were already doing some form of recycling. Learn more&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-innovates-tests-and-learns-from-store-partners-to-achieve-waste-goals/">here</a>.

Recharge yourself and your car at Starbucks

Currently, Starbucks company-operated stores in the U.S. are powered with 100% renewable energy, and now we get to help power our customers cars with renewable energy. Beginning this summer, Volvo electric vehicle chargers, powered by ChargePoint, will be available at up to 15 Starbucks stores along a 1,350-mile route from the Colorado Rockies to the Starbucks Support Center (headquarters) in Seattle. We know infrastructure is the primary reason customers hesitate or decide not to purchase an electric vehicle. By providing charging infrastructure customers can count on, we are hoping to remove that barrier with the added benefit of being able to order your favorite Starbucks beverage while you wait.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Supporting communities around the world and being a People Positive company

Starbucks is committed to being People Positive – a bold aspiration to enhance the well-being of one billion people who connect with Starbucks by 2030 – rooted in opportunity, inclusion, and community. Starbucks, in partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, has committed to a series of announcements to support the People Positive aspiration and strengthen communities around the world, including:

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&nbsp;1,000 Starbucks Community Stores by 2030

As part of the company’s goal to enhance the well-being of all who connect with Starbucks the company plans to open or dedicate 1,000 Starbucks Community Stores by 2030, building on the 150 already open around the globe. These stores seek to uplift communities by offering locally relevant programs and experiences that directly impact the neighborhoods they serve. Starbucks community stores deliver economic opportunity through local hiring and artist collaborations, working with diverse contractors, and creating spaces for people to come together or support local veterans and military families.

A more inclusive and accessible Starbucks Experience

Announced&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-paves-way-for-more-inclusive-and-accessible-experiences-in-stores-around-the-world/">earlier this week,</a>&nbsp;Starbucks has committed to implementing physical and digital experiences that meet an elevated standards of accessibility by 2030. These new standards will offer customers more ways to communicate (visually, audibly and tactically) and provide more tools to navigate physical store environments. To advance these standards, Starbucks is testing technology solutions in select store locations including speech-to-text technology that provides a visual display for partners and customers placing or picking up an order, as well as new in-store order boards that update customers when their order is ready.

These efforts build on other accessibility offerings, including free&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-offers-aira-creating-accessible-experience-for-blind-and-low-vision-customers/">Aira</a>&nbsp;service for blind or low-vision customers, large-print and Braille menus at all stores in the U.S. and Canada, and the 11 Signing Stores that Starbucks operates globally, where baristas can connect to customers who are deaf or hard of hearing through sign language.

Introducing: Starbucks Clover Vertica Brewer

Starbucks has spent more than 50 years on a journey to perfect coffee and Starbucks is continuing its mission to innovate around coffee equipment and brewing. Starbucks will continue raising the bar on coffee by introducing our new proprietary single cup, on-demand brewer, Clover Vertica™, which reimagines the brewed coffee experience for partners (baristas) and customers by delivering a single cup of freshly brewed coffee with exquisite, beautifully pronounced flavors –&nbsp; in less than 30 seconds. The Clover Vertica™&nbsp;brewer started rolling out this calendar year.

Top things to know about Starbucks 2022 shareholders meeting - Historias-en

Top things to know about Starbucks 2022 shareholders meeting

Today, Starbucks hosted its 30th&nbsp;annual meeting of shareholders virtually. Mellody Hobson, Starbucks Board of Directors chair, joined Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive officer, for opening remarks following today’s news that Johnson made the personal decision to retire from Starbucks after 13 years of service. Following opening remarks, Johnson, joined by several members of the […]

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It can be hard to find the right words to convey the experience of 2021 – another year largely shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic that was full of peaks, valleys and just the day-to-day stresses of the unknown. Things we’d hoped would be normal again by now are still challenging.&nbsp;

But even within that, there were – and are – still so many beautiful moments when we truly see the humanity of the world and what happens when we come together.

Around the world, our partners (employees) once again stepped up for each other, their communities and their customers. They gave back, brought joy and worked hard, knowing that comfort can sometimes be found in a cup and that the ritual of a trip to Starbucks can provide even a little bit of normalcy in a world that can be so unpredictable.

For Starbucks, 2021 also marked our 50th anniversary. From our beginning back in 1971 as a small coffee, tea and spice shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market to today, we are looking forward to our next 50 – bringing people together over coffee, and helping create a better future for our planet and everyone on it.&nbsp;

While it can be hard to find the words to hold all that, sometimes photos can, so today we’re looking back at some of our favorite images from 2021. Reminding us of the powerful moments we have been able to share. And most importantly, inspiring all of us to keep going forward with hope and optimism for what is yet to come.

Our stores are in neighborhoods and towns around the world and our partners represent, support and celebrate those communities. We span a beautiful spectrum, and we honor our diversity. From <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/aapi-heritage-month/">Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month</a> to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/pride-heritage-month/">Pride Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/black-history-month-starbucks-partners-share-what-inspires-them-to-keep-going/">Black History Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-celebrates-latinx-heritage-month/">Latinx Heritage Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/in-disability-pride-month-starbucks-partners-share-their-stories-and-how-others-can-be-better-allies/">Disability Pride Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/celebrating-american-indian-and-alaska-native-heritage-month/">American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month</a> and more, we featured partners and their stories of identity, culture and tradition.

Visit our <a href="https://www.instagram.com/starbucks.stories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> to see more stories from our Heritage Month series.

50th anniversary

In 1971, a small coffee, tea and spice shop opened near Seattle’s Pike Place Market with a name out of Moby Dick and an alluring siren as a logo.

In 2021, while we celebrated our 50th anniversary, it was a great time to unbox some of the historic and <a href="https://archive.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">archival items</a> that had been gathered and stored at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle – spanning the history of the company.

We found original menus, bags of coffee and tea, our first-ever holiday cup, tokens for free coffee and even unopened bottles of <a href="https://archive.starbucks.com/record/mazagran" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mazagran</a> – a carbonated coffee beverage launched in 1994 that lasted only a brief time but developed a dedicated following.

Store dedicated to the Navajo Nation

Like so many across the world, the Navajo Nation was ravaged by the pandemic. In the early days of COVID-19, Starbucks store manager <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/coming-home-store-manager-brings-covid-19-supplies-to-navajo-nation/">Ty Barbone worked to make sure essential supplies were reaching people in his community</a>. But Barbone wasn’t done. He&nbsp; reached out to Starbucks leadership and became the spark behind the new Indigenous Partner Network – one of 12 partner-led networks across the U.S.

Barbone’s store on the edge of the Navajo Nation in Gallup, New Mexico was remodeled and reopened as Starbucks 22nd Community Store, dedicated to the Navajo Nation and indigenous people.&nbsp;Each Community Store hires local partners, works with local artists and contractors, and teams up with nonprofits, with the goal of becoming a hub of community activity.

In November the store was dedicated in a community ceremony, with dancers from nearby Zuni Pueblo performing a traditional Deer Dance to honor the new gathering space. A hand painted mural by Navajo artist Daniel Josley is a centerpiece of the store, celebrating his heritage.

Stepping up, helping out

Even in the midst of the pandemic, Starbucks partners didn’t sit idly by in 2021. As always, they were getting involved in community efforts around the globe. We continued our work with Feeding America® to address the growing need for food assistance, and partners gave their time in food banks to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-grants-support-equitable-access-to-food/">to help get food to those in need</a>. They also volunteered in homeless shelters and with many other organizations that offer help to those in need.

With grants from The Starbucks Foundation, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-celebrates-world-water-day/">our partners worked to bring clean, safe drinking water</a> and handwashing stations to communities in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Expanding support for farmers and the planet

Coffee farmer Walquíria Peixoto Correa holds the coffee she saved for her own family after the conclusion of harvest on her family farm in Guaranésia, Brazil.

In 2021, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/starbucks-opens-farmer-support-center-in-brazil-for-coffee-growing/">Starbucks opened our first farmer support center in Brazil,</a> our 10th globally, offering resources to farmers like Walquíria. Located in Varginha, Minas Gerais state, the new Farmer Support Center provides open-source agronomy and training on ethical sourcing practices to farmers, regardless of whether or not they sell to Starbucks.

A coffee farming community in the hills near Turrialba, Costa Rica. Costa Rica is home to Hacienda Alsacia, the only Starbucks-owned farm in the world.

The heartbeat of Starbucks

Our partners are truly the heartbeat of Starbucks. Even during this pandemic, they bring joy, care and connection to our customers and each other every day.

In 2021, we were able to feature some of our partners and their real-life stories in everything from <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/meet-gigi-barista-musician-and-star-of-starbucks-new-tv-spot/">ads celebrating our 50th anniversary</a> to storytelling about what these amazing humans are able to accomplish, including those who work hard to earn their bachelor’s degree through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.

As always, we are in love with coffee, including the way it comes to life in our cups.

A looping GIF shows milk cascading through a cup of Starbucks Cold Brew, photographed with a macro lens.

Working with local artists

Through the Starbucks Art Program, we have the privilege of working with talented local artists to create original pieces for our stores and offices around the world. In 2021, the team worked with many artists including longtime contributors Jen Ament and Marisol Ortega, here working on new pieces in their studios.

Using our skills to help speed vaccine delivery

Starbucks partners tested out the flow of mock vaccine stations, including pretending to deliver vaccines, at the company’s Tryer Center.&nbsp;

Starbucks serves 100 million customers a week in 30,000 stores around the world. You could say we have lots of experience moving people through spaces.

In January <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/offering-to-serve-starbucks-joins-effort-to-help-speed-covid-19-vaccination-delivery/">Starbucks teamed up with the State of Washington</a> and other companies to help find efficient ways to move people through COVID-19 vaccination sites. Mock stations were set up in the Tryer innovation lab in our Seattle headquarters, and tests were conducted on how to move people through the vaccination process. The information was shared with the Washington State Vaccine Command and Coordination Center and implemented at early mass-vaccination sites in Washington State.

Taking flight for the holidays

In early December, Starbucks teamed up with longtime partner, Alaska Airlines, to offer a unique BOGO flight deal. On Dec. 7, a custom-painted Alaska plane decorated with Starbucks holiday cups lifted off from Seattle Tacoma International Airport en route to Chicago. A large prop cup, part of a photoshoot, seemed to walk past the airplane on the tarmac before takeoff.

As the curtains close on 2021, one thing is clear: The year was made so much better because of the people. Our partners and the wonderful customers that visit our stores all coming together to lift humanity and leave us all inspired. As we’ve always known, it truly is about so much more than coffee.

We're looking back at 2021 with images that remind us of the powerful and uplifting moments we have been able to share amidst another year of upheaval.

Starbucks 2021: The year in pictures

https://historias.starbucks.com/en-es/stories/2021/starbucks-2021-the-year-in-pictures/

As Starbucks turns 50, Michelle Burns, who leads coffee at Starbucks, and her team are working to ensure the best outcomes for coffee farmers and the land it’s grown on.

Michelle Burns remembers vividly the trip she took to Colombia in 2018. As the sun broke through the clouds, she trekked into a rugged mountain region in Caldas, one of the country’s main coffee-producing regions – a two-and-a-half-hour ascent up through steep terrain, then down into a valley. There, she and her group were greeted by about 15 local farmers, mostly young people who’d returned home and recently started coffee farming after decades of armed conflicts in the area had subsided.

“They shared their stories with us,” recalls Burns, now Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/leadership/michelle-burns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">executive vice president of Global Coffee, Tea and Cocoa</a>, “stories about conflict and all the challenges that happened in Colombia, stories of moving away after losing family members who were in coffee farming.

“They’d come back to reclaim that land. And we asked them, ‘What can we do to help?’”

The moment – and her subsequent takeaway: “the incredible possibility to positively impact the lives and support the next generation of farmers” – led to the Starbucks Colombia Initiative, called “Granos de Esperanza” (grains of hope), a kind of real-time agricultural and economic innovation lab.

Today, 100 local farmers in Nariño, Colombia are learning the latest climate education, soil and fertilizer analysis techniques and coffee cultivation and business practices. They’re applying innovations gained at Hacienda Alsacia, the Starbucks research farm in Costa Rica. And they’re incorporating new technologies like eco-pulpers that use less water in the coffee-production process.

The moment also widened Burns’ perspective on the bean-to-cup journey and drove home the importance and urgency of making sure that Starbucks is committed to doing the work and making the investments to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all, especially for those who grow it and the land they work on. 

To that end, Starbucks has opened <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/starbucks-opens-farmer-support-center-in-brazil-for-coffee-growing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10 coffee farmer support centers</a> around the globe, the latest in Brazil; committed to provide 100 million healthy coffee trees to coffee farmers by 2025; provided access to low-interest loans to coffee farmers in regions where traditional banks are not an option; and piloted programs in Guatemala to help coffee-farming families diversify their income streams.

A commitment to take less and give more to the planet

Starbucks has also <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-announces-coffee-specific-environmental-goals/#:~:text=In%202020%20Starbucks%20committed%20to,50%25%2C%20both%20by%202030." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">set goals</a> to achieve carbon-neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50 percent, both by 2030.

“That is bold,” Burns says. “The effort that needs to happen on methodology and technology and bringing all the pieces together, it’s somewhat uncharted territory. We’re very ambitiously out there, not yet having all the answers, but trying to find the solutions.”

Specifically, Starbucks is focusing on reducing its carbon and water footprints at “the first ten feet” – starting on the farms – and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by equipping farmers with precision agronomy tools, promoting and distributing climate-resistant tree varietals and protecting and restoring at-risk forests in key coffee landscapes.

As part of its water conservation strategy, Starbucks is investing in ecological wet mills that can save up to 80 percent of water in coffee processing. To date, Starbucks has helped install 12,000 such new mills around the world.

“You think about the magnitude of water scarcity around the globe. Are there potential ways to innovate and identify and use equipment that is better for the environment? There are over 200,000 wet mills currently in our supply chain. We’ve only scratched the surface on scaling this technology.

“I am seeing the possibilities, and I get excited about the overall positive impact we can have. I feel the best knowing we’ll never hold this as our own. We’re working with others in the industry, so this work is in service to the entire coffee sector – and hopefully beyond, into the broader agricultural industry – because we’re committed to build on open sources of sharing.”

Burns still has the large handmade red ceramic mug that a fellow partner (employee) gifted her 26 years ago, her first at Starbucks. When it’s cradled in her hands, she feels familiarity and friendship, comfort and warmth. Like so many others who have a coffee ritual, this mug is part of hers.

These days, when she drinks coffee out of this mug, she’s reminded of the need to slow down and savor the moment.

For 50 years, coffee has been the core of Starbucks, and Burns always comes back to that, especially as a highly visible leader during intensely complex times – a climate crisis, crop diseases like coffee rust, a highly charged political landscape, an aging farmer population, supply chain disruptions due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, labor and staffing shortages.

“It is important to stay true to the heart and the mission of our company, and the love for coffee, and your experience with it.

“I believe that by honoring our heritage, staying true to where and why we started as a company – strongly rooted in our mission and values, with an aspiration to make sure that in the end, we're giving more than we're taking – then we can really go after the biggest, boldest aspirations.”

That thinking led Starbucks to develop one of the coffee industry’s first ethical sourcing standards, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>, a verification program that allows Starbucks to ensure it gets high-quality, ethically sourced coffee while also gaining insights into the challenges faced by farmers and supply chain operations in the more than 30 different coffee-producing countries around the world – and then to share that knowledge back.

C.A.F.E. Practices measures more than 200 criteria – as scored by an independent third-party auditor – in the categories of economic transparency, environmental leadership, social responsibility and quality. Starbucks pays premiums above commercial market price to help ensure coffee farmer profitability, and also financially rewards supply chains that reach the highest performance levels.

That commitment to stay rooted in Starbucks mission and values continues to drive Burns in her work – especially as a woman leading in the coffee industry – whether it’s planet-first initiatives, farmer support or increasing awareness among customers of the entire coffee-making process.

“You just think about the magnitude,” Burns says. “How many hands actually touch the coffee along the way, how many miles are there from a field to one of our stores? It’s incredible… That has to be integrated into all the ways we work, think and act. We work in support of 400,000 farmers, just like we work in support of 400,000 partners.”

Given that Starbucks buys about 800 million pounds of coffee every year, or about 5 percent of the world’s coffee, Burns says, “the potential to positively impact the lives and livelihoods of farmers and their communities is tremendous.

“People have watched us working hard to do the right things, find solutions and take great care of farmers and their communities, for decades. They grant us an amount of trust and opportunity to help lead the discussion around ensuring a sustainable future of coffee for all. That is a privilege as well as a responsibility, but it's so important that we follow through. “When I think about that challenge, and I look at what is required, and the journey ahead, my sense is, we must. We must be brave, and we must lead, and set out aspirations that are bold to take the path that can create a better future for those that grow coffee and their families, and to ensure that the beauty and art and ritual that's coffee remains in all of our cultures, for decades and decades to come.”

Smiling woman in flowered shirt holding mug that says "Colombia"

As Starbucks turns 50, Michelle Burns, who leads coffee at Starbucks, and her team are working to ensure the best outcomes for coffee farmers and the land it’s grown on.

Working to create a more sustainable future of coffee for all

https://historias.starbucks.com/en-es/stories/2021/working-to-create-a-more-sustainable-future-of-coffee-for-all-2/

In 2020 Starbucks committed to a resource-positive future, formalizing environmental goals to cut its carbon, water, and waste footprints by half.

As a progression against those goals, the company commits to Carbon Neutral Green Coffee and to conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50%, both by 2030.

Starbucks has a bold aspiration to be a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-multi-decade-aspiration-to-become-resource-positive/">resource positive</a> company, to take less and give more to the planet in every aspect of its business – including coffee. Starbucks purchases coffee from more than 400,000 farmers in 30 countries around the world and is committed to a sustainable future for coffee.

To protect the resiliency of this supply chain, the people that make it possible, and the planet we all share, Starbucks set goals to achieve carbon neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50% by 2030.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“As we celebrate 50 years of Starbucks, we are looking ahead at ways we can reimagine the future and continue to inspire and nurture the human spirit,” said Michelle Burns, svp of Global Coffee, Tea and Cocoa at Starbucks. “For farmers and their communities, we know it is critical we work together to address the challenges they face associated with climate change which are making it increasingly difficult to grow high-quality coffee. By reducing carbon emissions and conserving water, we can help farmers be more productive while we are also contributing to a better planet and bringing coffee to customers in a sustainable way."

Accelerating Sustainable Coffee

From the beginning, Starbucks has been a leader in <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/building-a-sustainable-future-for-coffee-together/">sourcing coffee responsibly</a>.

These coffee-specific environmental goals are an extension of work underway with C.A.F.E. (coffee and farmer equity) Practices. Evidence shows that farmers participating in the program have higher productivity than the country averages. which has helped Starbucks create a long-term supply of high-quality coffee while positively impacting the lives of coffee farmers and their communities.

Now, in support of the company’s path to a Planet Positive future, Starbucks is focusing on its carbon and water footprints at Origin – or what Starbucks refers to as “the first ten feet” (farm to port).

With this focus on on-farm activities and land use change, Starbucks is addressing its largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in coffee before the rest of the coffee value chain (like transportation, roasting, or packaging).

“A strong model for corporate climate leadership; Starbucks has developed clear and ambitious targets that prioritize sustainability from farmer to customer,” said Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO, Conservation International. “Just as significantly, they are backing these commitments with immediate actions to reduce their footprint and invest in nature. I encourage other companies to follow a similar path. &nbsp;It’s good for business, good for people, and essential for our climate.”&nbsp;

Carbon Neutral Green Coffee

Starbucks will work to meet its 2030 target of carbon neutral green coffee, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in coffee at Origin then compensating for any remaining emissions, by deploying three primary strategies:

Through Starbucks Farmer Support Centers and a new soil scanning mobile app, the company is helping farmers understand the specific nutrients and fertilizer needed to increase farm productivity. In fact, more than 11,500 soil and foliar samples have been collected to date. With these custom, farm-specific solutions, farmers can target and decrease fertilizer use – which helps to decrease carbon emissions on their farms – and increase farm productivity.

With Starbucks open-source agronomy approach, the company shares research, seeds, and seedlings with farmers all around the world, helping farmers to adapt to climate change. These climate-resistant varietals are rust-resistant and enable farmers to grow more coffee on the same amount of land, which then helps to reduce overall carbon emissions.

Land use change and deforestation are the greatest climate risks&nbsp;facing the coffee industry. Working in partnership with Conservation International, Starbucks will invest in forest and landscape protection and restoration programs in coffee producing countries, starting in Colombia and Peru. These agroforestry efforts will not only remove carbon and support the carbon neutral pathway, but also will benefit freshwater ecosystems and coffee communities.

Water Conservation at Origin

Traditional coffee processing is water intensive. With 200,000 wet mills in Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practice supply chain, Starbucks has an opportunity to conserve water by ensuring farmers have access to more environmentally friendly machines, which also standardizes quality and increases processing efficiency for farmers.

Starbucks will&nbsp;achieve&nbsp;50% conservation in water usage by 2030 by:&nbsp;

Over the last year, Starbucks purchased nearly 600 eco-mills that have been distributed to coffee farms in Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Kenya, and Rwanda. The result has been up to 80% water savings in coffee processing where installed.

Through <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/inside-the-tryer-center-the-starbucks-lab-where-anything-is-possible/">Starbucks Tryer Center</a>, we are working with suppliers to explore improvements to existing water processing machinery and technology. Meanwhile, through our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/ensuring-access-to-agronomy-education-and-resources/">Farmer Support Centers,</a> we are conducting research and gathering insights from farmers to inform future machine design and operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As part of Starbucks long-term water strategy, the company will develop water replenishment projects at Origin, wAs part of Starbucks long-term water strategy, the company will develop water replenishment projects at Origin, with a focus on prioritizing action in high-risk basins while supporting watershed health, ecosystem resilience and water equity.

Over the last year, Starbucks launched programs in Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda, and Kenya to test its carbon and water strategies impacting more than 92,000 farms. In addition to investing in new, water-conserving wet mills, Starbucks worked with farmers to gather more than 11,500 soil and foliar samples to inform soil health.

Based on the success of these initial pilots, Starbucks is now expanding the program to Colombia and launching a new, holistic sustainability project with 100 small-holder farmers in Nariño, Colombia. Over a five-year period, the Nariño project will combine the best of Starbucks knowledge and resources on regenerative agriculture, precision agronomy and farm economics.

Farmers will receive hands-on support including customized, in-depth agricultural and business education and training to best manage their crops and land. They will also receive new equipment and facilities to optimize for reduced water use and carbon emissions and new, climate-resistant coffee seedlings to replace unproductive trees.

This project and partnership with Starbucks will help farmers increase their productivity, quality and profitability while decreasing the environmental footprint generated from coffee growing and processing.

Measuring &amp; Scaling the Work

Starbucks knows the most pressing issues in coffee cannot be solved by one company alone, and that the best solutions require everyone coming together to collaborate in providing a better future for farmers.

Starbucks is working with Conservation International and others, to advise and evolve its carbon neutral coffee roadmap and measurement methodology. Starbucks will share learnings to help the entire industry.

Starbucks has also joined the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, a CEO-led coalition, as well as the Water Resilience Coalition to elevate our corporate water agenda and partner with other leading companies on collective action projects in key basins around the world.

“On behalf of the CEO Water Mandate team, I am proud to welcome Starbucks to the Water Resilience Coalition’s leadership committee and to working together to advance water stewardship in key basins,” said Jason Morrison, Head of the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate. “This is in line with Starbucks aspiration to be resource-positive and a longstanding history of sustainability work, particularly with coffee farmers on climate-and-water smart agriculture practices. We look forward to having Starbucks join this cohort of leading companies to collectively tackle watershed health issues that will enable more resilient supply chains and farming communities around the world.”

Starbucks will continue to measure its overall carbon and water footprint and share progress annually in its Global Environmental Social Impact Report.&nbsp;The company is also working with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to validate the 2030 corporate sustainability goals, inclusive of green coffee.

The company commits to Carbon Neutral Green Coffee and to conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50%, both by 2030.

Starbucks announces coffee-specific environmental goals

https://historias.starbucks.com/en-es/stories/2021/starbucks-announces-coffee-specific-environmental-goals-3/

As a progression against those goals, the company commits to Carbon Neutral Green Coffee and to conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50%, both by 2030.

It was a year like no other.

It was a year we had little choice but to dig deep into our reserves of resilience, patience and kindness, even as COVID-19 turned the world and each of our lives upside down, sparing no one from change and uncertainty. It was a year that underscored the importance of standing up, marching and speaking out against racial inequality. 

From climate change to elections and hunger to mental health, it can be hard to feel optimistic after a year spent facing down so many personal and collective challenges.

But here’s what gives us hope: You. It seems the human spirit shines the brightest in times of difficulty. For evidence of this, we have to look no further than Starbucks partners and customers around the world and their acts of courage, creativity and joy.

As 2020 comes to a close, we’d like to share a look at some of this year’s milestones as well as what we’re looking forward to in 2021.

This year, we learned eyes can smile. Behind those masks were our baristas, ready to help make people’s day just a little better.

Troy James, a Starbucks licensed store district manager in New Orleans recognized a need in his community. He knew that many people had lost their service-industry jobs due to the effects of COVID-19 and families were struggling to have enough to eat. James pulled together the connections he had: relationships with Target, which operate licensed Starbucks stores; <a href="http://www.libertyskitchen.org/">Liberty’s Kitchen</a>, a nonprofit mentorship program for youth which James has been volunteering with for more than a decade; and the Starbucks Black Partner Network, which challenged itself to find solutions during civil unrest over the summer.

He reached out to <a href="https://no-hunger.org/">Second Harvest Food Bank</a> of New Orleans, a Starbucks mobile food pantry grant recipient, which he’d worked with before, and the Metropolitan Human Services District, which pledged to show up with healthcare resources.

The result was a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/food-banks-starbucks-rethink-solutions-to-address-root-causes-of-hunger/">resource distribution event</a> at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church on a rainy summer morning volunteers, including New Orleans councilwoman Cyndi Nguyen, passed out 1,600 boxes of food, each designed to feed a family of four for two weeks, 800 COVID-19 sanitizing kits and 400 back-to-school kits in a backpack. Liberty’s Kitchen bought the school supplies with a $7,500 Target community grant.

In January of 2020, Starbucks announced a<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-multi-decade-aspiration-to-become-resource-positive/"> multi-decade aspiration to become resource positive</a>. It’s a time when coffee is at a bit of a crossroads.&nbsp;There are more coffee drinkers in the world than ever before, but each year, climate change, disease and diminishing natural resources can make the business of coffee farming more and more difficult.

Starbucks coffee farm in Costa Rica, purchased in 2013 <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/this-earth-day-meet-some-of-the-people-working-to-make-coffee-sustainable">to help the company better understand these challenges</a>, has become a global hub of research and discovery. In 2020, Starbucks announced progress with refined agronomy practices and use of old-world tree breeding techniques that can drastically increase yield of coffee farms, bringing more economic security to farmers and the communities where they live.

Inclusive Starbucks stores around the world

Starbucks expanded its dedication to inclusive stores that serve local communities around the world. In India, Tata Starbucks opened two stores<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2020/women-lead-the-way-tata-starbucks-opens-two-all-women-stores-in-india/"> operated entirely by women.</a> The stores reaffirm Tata Starbucks ongoing commitment to promoting an inclusive and diverse workforce by empowering women leaders

In South Korea, Starbucks opened a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2020/starbucks-opens-store-focused-on-inclusive-design-in-south-korea/">first-of-its-kind store focused on inclusive design</a>. The store was designed to expand career opportunities for Starbucks partners with disabilities. Half of the staff are partners with disabilities and hold positions at nearly every level. Partners all receive customized training and development, including basic expressions in Korean Sign Language. Starbucks also opened a new <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2020/starbucks-first-signing-store-in-japan/">signing store in Japan in June</a> and another in <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2020/new-beijing-signing-store-shares-love-for-coffee-and-connection/">Beijing in September</a>; the company now has six signing stores around the world where all the partners are fluent in sign language.

The Starbucks Support Center is dark except for the clock tower as the pandemic worsened in the Seattle area in March. Starbucks is reimagining the corporate headquarters during the time that many partners are away from the building and working from home.

It’s not just about coffee, it’s about people. It’s about nurturing the human spirit. In uncertain times, Starbucks partners and customers around the globe exercised daily acts of resilience, kindness, courage, creativity and joy and making <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/good-things-are-happening/">good things happen</a>.

Starbucks partners recognized need in their communities in 2020 and stepped in to help, doing everything from sewing masks to working at food banks. Visiting longtime regular customers, and providing coffee to front-line responders.

In 2020 Starbucks partner Ain Powell <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/for-some-starbucks-partners-this-juneteenth-represents-hope-change/">raised the Juneteenth flag</a> over the corporate headquarters to recognize the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States — amid massive social unrest and demands across the country for <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/milestones-starbucks-efforts-to-support-racial-justice-and-equity/">change and justice</a>.

That same month a silent protest in Seattle drew many Starbucks partners in one of the largest protest marches Seattle has seen in decades.

“What a time it is to be alive,” Powell said the week of the flag raising. “What a time it is to put all of my learning that I’ve grown up with, all the knowledge that my parents and my grandparents have told me about. Not just my culture and to be proud of my past, but to understand what it took for us to get here, and to understand that we have a long way to go."

As people sheltered in place at the beginning of the pandemic, Starbucks stores closed. They were reopened after new safety measures were implemented and partners went through training. The company embraced the mantra of “monitor and adapt” as situations changed in local communities and Starbucks worked to responsibly re-open stores after the closures.

At the time, Kevin Johnson, Starbucks chief operating officer, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/starbucks-ceo-the-third-place-needed-now-more-than-ever-before/">wrote</a>, “These adaptations will reinforce the concept of the third place — a warm and welcoming place, outside of our homes and our workspaces, where we connect and build community. We think of the third place as a mindset — a feeling of comfort that uplifts customers everywhere, and in every way, they experience Starbucks. And the third place has never been more relevant than now, as communities seek to reconnect and heal.”

After announcing that Starbucks would give a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-gives-1million-cups-of-free-coffee-to-first-responders-in-us-and-canada/">free tall coffee</a> to front-line responders, Kevin Johnson, chief executive officer, delivered coffee to an ambulance crew that pulled up to the store in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood.&nbsp;

Johnson also visited the Starbucks Roasting Plant in Kent, Washington where new safety measures were put in place because of the pandemic.&nbsp;

Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-to-accelerate-expansion-of-drive-thru-pickup-and-curbside-pickup/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-to-accelerate-expansion-of-drive-thru-pickup-and-curbside-pickup/">accelerated the transformation</a> of stores with the expansion of formats such as Drive-Thru, Starbucks Pickup and curbside pickup at some stores as a response to the shift in the market during COVID-19 and to meet evolving customer needs.

In the midst of COVID-19, which has disproportionately impacted people of color, a racial justice movement and a struggling economy, nonprofits were stretched to meet the need. In response, The Starbucks Foundation awarded Neighborhood Grants to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/the-starbucks-foundation-awards-neighborhood-grants-to-advance-racial-equity/">more than 400 nonprofit organizations</a> in the U.S. and Canada. Recipients of the awards, which totaled $1.5 million, were nominated by Starbucks partners, with priority given to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/three-black-led-nonprofits-respond-to-unprecedented-times/">Black-led grassroots nonprofits</a> that serve Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, including You Grow Girl! in Seattle.

In the end, at the core, Starbucks is about bringing people together – and that all centers around coffee and connection.

Throughout the year Starbucks Stories <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/meet-samantha-haviser-iddings-who-sees-ambiguity-as-a-strength/">introduced you to partners</a>, including people like Samantha Haviser-Iddings, a senior project manager in store development and a leader with the Starbucks Black Partner Network.

Holiday season at Starbucks is a festive time. And our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/holiday-season-at-starbucks/">holiday cups</a> are always a sign that the season of cheer is here. In 2020 we introduced you to talented Starbucks designers Taylor Mattson, left, and Jamie Jones.

“We went through so many rounds of different cup designs, from minor tweaks to totally new ideas," said Jones. "We designed with ribbons, different variations on the orders of the ribbons and what colors we wanted to combine. We also cut out individual strips of paper and put them together to get a variety of options really fast. We love bouncing ideas off of each other and have similar taste design wise, so together it was the perfect match. I hope people are proud of the designs, we put a lot of love into them.”

Starbucks 2020: The year in pictures - Historias-en

It was a year like no other. As 2020 comes to a close, we’d like to share a look at some of this year’s milestones as well as what we’re looking forward to in 2021.

https://historias.starbucks.com/en-es/stories/2020/starbucks-2020-the-year-in-pictures-3/

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