Starbuck’s and the Environment

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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.

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