More than a year ago, the Ethiopian government approached Starbucks global HQ in Seattle and asked the company to recognise Ethiopia’s legal ownership of the names of its coffees.
Ethiopia's ownership of its coffee names could bring substantial benefits to the 15 million poor Ethiopians who depend on coffee for their livelihood. By owning the rights to its fine coffee names- Harar, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe- Ethiopia can help its farmers negotiate a better price, potentially increasing income for the country’s coffee industry by an estimated $88 million a year. This would help lift millions of farmers and their families out of poverty, helping them to send their children to school and access healthcare.
After initially dismissing Ethiopia 's plan to trademark its specialty coffees, Starbucks, which came under international pressure from campaigners, has now said it is ready to recognize Ethiopia 's right to pursue this path. So far, more than 90,000 people across the globe have called on Starbucks to sign such an agreement. This support has pushed Starbucks to hold meetings with the Ethiopian government to discuss the issue. Despite its much-publicised commitments to Ethiopia’s farmers, Starbucks has not taken the Ethiopian request seriously. It’s time for Starbucks to recognise Ethiopia’s right to the legal ownership of its own coffee names.
