Ten Thousand Villages of Austin’s Blog

American culture has defined Starbucks as the cornerstone of the typical daily morning routine. Thus, it is imperative that its corporate executives design the perfect cup of warm, rich coffee that appeals to the caffeine-craving masses. However, not all Starbucks utilize the same methods in choosing their coffee distributors. According to the New York Times, all Starbucks locations in New England serve fair trade coffee. That’s peachy, but let’s face it: New England composes only a fraction of the country. What about the remainder of its branches?

Upon placing my order for a cup of Fair Trade coffee at a Starbucks in Fort Worth, Texas, I was met with a despondent expression and an “Eh…I’ll have to start brewing a new pot, which will take about 10 minutes.” I said that would be fine, and the barista moped off to do what seemed like a tiresome chore. Other people have had similar complications ordering Fair Trade Coffee. I’m under the impression that businesses operate by selling products that their employees will stand by, but perhaps I’m wrong.

Sure, the explanation my barista gave me is valid because the cost of keeping a pot of Fair Trade coffee on hand is illogical when looking at the sometimes low rate of customers who order it. Sure, in Austin, most vendors of Fair Trade coffee keep it on hand. But what about those who live in growing cities like Dallas/Fort Worth, where the Fair Trade bandwagon is not so accommodating?

As it is the only company licensed to serve Fair Trade Certified Coffee in 23 countries, it is vital that Starbucks educate their employees to at least know the basics - this involving that they do in fact offer Fair Trade Coffee and that they ought to treat it as they would the coffee of the day. The only thing that we as consumers can do is order it as much as possible, letting employees see for themselves that there is a demand for it. Coffee shops in Austin have begun to serve, sometimes exclusively, Fair Trade Coffee so who knows what fruitful results other cities will yield?