Put down that latte!

More bad news about Starbucks!

Not only do they not recycle, they are refusing to let Ethiopia trademark its coffees. The Ethiopian government tried to trademark coffee names, like Sidamo, Harar, and Yirgacheffe, which could potentially bring millions of dollars to Ethiopian farmers.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied Ethiopia's trademark applications, apparently at the urging of the National Coffee Association, which happens to be chaired by Dub Hay, a Starbucks executive.

It's unlikely that this is a coincidence--why would Starbucks want to pay more for the coffee it purchases?

On the other hand, a trademark would belong to the Ethiopian government. This would likely mean that the monies earned through the trademark would be kept by Ethiopian politicians and not passed on to the actual coffee growers.

Starbucks alleges that they would be able to get more money to the actual growers if they did not have to pay licensing fees to the Ethiopian government.

And you know what? It's probably true. The Ethiopian government is not known for its generosity to its people.

But this doesn't make Starbucks any more endearing to me. The fact is, they want cheap coffee, and the welfare of those who grow it is probably of secondary or tertiary concern for Starbucks executives.

So-called "L.A. Weekly" politics can't help resolve this difficult issue, but just being aware of the origins of our food sources is important. There is a long chain of people involved in getting us our morning coffee. These people and their stories cannot simply be discounted.

In any case, I'm not buying anything from Starbucks again until they put in some recycling bins.

Best Wishes,


Jennifer