SBX17-235876 Coffee Master Journal FY17 - 20160929

We believe in
the giant potential

of the tiny bean.
SBX17-235876 Coffee Master Journal FY17_20160929.indd 1 9/29/16 11:26 AM

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and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from Starbucks. Printed in the United States of America.
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used with permission.
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SBX17-235876

Welcome, Future
Coffee Master
Our most passionate, engaged As a Coffee Master, you will
and knowledge-seeking have great responsibility. You’ll
partners are invited to become make an even greater impact
Coffee Masters. You were on every team member and
chosen because of your customer you take under your
willingness and desire to share wing. During the next 8–12
the essence of coffee—facts weeks, this journal will guide
and stories—with others. Your you to become a trusted
desire to learn, connect with storyteller, an inspiring role
customers and teach others are model and an advocate for
what started you on this journey. coffee excellence.
We see your potential and we’re

proud to have you lead the way.
Congratulations on embarking
on this journey and upholding
our mission.
To inspire and nurture the human

spirit—one person, one cup and one
neighborhood at a time.

Contents
Welcome, Future Coffee Master 3 The Starbucks Difference
ETHICAL SOURCING & SUSTAINABILITY
The World of Coffee Our Commitment 66

THE HISTORY OF COFFEE
C.A.F.E. Practices 68
In the Beginning … 12
Collaborating with Farmers 72
We Are on a Journey 15
Hacienda Alsacia 74
Investing in Farming Communities 76

COFFEE AGRICULTURE & FARMING
Partnerships 80
Altitude & Microclimate 22
Terroir 24
OUR COFFEE EXPERTISE
Species of Coffee Trees 25
Coffee Quality Teams 86
Seed to Tree 30
Decaffeinating Coffee 92
The Coffee Life Cycle 32
Aged Coffee 94
The Anatomy of a Bean 36
Roasting: Art & Science 96
Processing Methods 37
The Starbucks Roast Spectrum
®
98
Overview of Farms 44
Blend Development 104
The Coffee Belt 46
Latin America 48 Coffee Leadership

Africa 54 BARISTA CR AFT
Asia / Pacific 58 Preparing Coffee 112
Why Equipment Maintenance Matters 116
Handcrafting Beverages 118
YOUR ROLE AS COFFEE MASTER
Coffee Leadership & Certification 122
Your Role as a Coffee Leader 124
Certification 126

Program Overview & Flow
The Coffee Master program is made up of three parts. The first, and most critical, is
this journal, which contains all the content needed for certification as a Coffee Master.
The journal is designed so you will read one chapter at a time, stopping after each to
apply what you have learned through activities.
The second part of the program is the optional digital content, used just to reinforce
the concepts already outlined in the journal. This could be articles, videos or other
graphics that can visually help bring information to life. Ask your manager how, or if,
you can access this content.
The last component is the Coffee Master Activities, accessed either digitally or as
a document from your Coffee Master coach. You will choose three to four activities
to complete before moving on to the next chapter of the journal. One of the required
activities will be a coffee tasting with your Coffee Master coach, who is mentoring
you through your coffee journey. Your coach will check for understanding before you
continue to the next chapter.
JOURNAL DIGITAL CONTENT ACTIVITIES

Read one chapter View optional content online. Complete 3–4
at a time. activities.
CHECK IN WITH YOUR

COFFEE MASTER COACH
Proceed to next chapter.
When the last chapter is completed, your certification will get scheduled. This is a time
for you to showcase what you have learned and how you will continue to lead and inspire
in your new role as a Coffee Master.
6 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

Your Role
Being a coffee leader means creating an environment where coffee is at the core
and delivering the highest quality product with a genuine customer connection.
Your role as a Coffee Master is to:

• Be a guardian and champion of coffee quality.
• Understand and share the Starbucks difference.
• Positively impact your team, your customers and the business.
Resources
These additional resources will help you as you explore and learn.
Please consult the following as needed:
\\ Coffee and Tea Resource Manual
\\ Coffee Passport
\\ Store Cleanliness and Equipment Maintenance Manual
\\ Beverage Resource Manual
\\ 1912pike.com
\\ starbucks.com/responsibility/sourcing
INTRODUCTION ∙ 7

The
World of
Coffee

THE
HIS TORY OF
COFFEE

Coffee has grown to be one
of the world’s most traded
agricultural commodities and is
a celebrated beverage enjoyed
across cultures and continents.
We’ll dive into the beginnings
of coffee as we know it from
Ethiopia to our first store in Pike
Place Market to our Starbucks
Reserve Roastery and Tasting
®
Room opened in 2014.
Learning Objectives
After completing this section

you will be able to:
• Understand the legend of

coffee’s beginning.
• K now key dates in Starbucks

history.

In the Beginning …
The history of coffee is rich with legend and intrigue.
Coffee has grown to be one of the world’s most traded agricultural commodities and is a
favorite beverage, celebrated and enjoyed across cultures and continents.
And it all began long ago, circa AD 800–900, with an Ethiopian goat herder, Kaldi, who
noticed his goats became energetic after eating berries of a certain shrub. Curious, he tried
one himself and noticed it had a similar effect.
A monk who came across Kaldi and his dancing goats grew intrigued and picked some
berries from the same shrub. He crushed them into a powder and added boiling water
(this may have been the first-ever cup of coffee). Upon tasting the concoction and realizing
it released energy, he rushed back to his monastery to share his findings. The monks hailed
the discovery as a “gift from the Lord,” for now they would be able to stay awake during
their long prayers.
Starbucks became part of coffee’s rich history in 1971, opening its first store in Seattle’s
Pike Place Market.
Today Starbucks is a leader in the world of coffee, producing some of the finest coffee
around the globe.
Of course, there is so much more to the history of coffee. See below to find out more about
coffee’s fascinating history, Starbucks role in it and coffee’s journey from Ethiopia to you.
Circa 1000 1300 1450–1650

Arabian Traders Bring Coffee Travels with the Ottoman Turks Bring Coffee
Coffee Back to Their Spread of Islam to Constantinople (Istanbul)
Homeland Muslims began drinking Coffeehouses appeared
Traders brought coffee across coffee prepared like a bean throughout the Arabian world,
the Red Sea into Yemen broth because they believed where men would meet to
(Arabia), where the beans were it warded off evil. As Islam socialize, play games and drink
first roasted and the plant first spread to North Africa, the coffee (hot and black). Though
cultivated on plantations. They Mediterranean and Asia, women were not allowed in
boiled the beans to create a coffee traveled along with it. coffeehouses, they used coffee
drink they called qahwa (literally But the Arabs were smart: by for medicinal purposes. In fact
that which prevents sleep). boiling their coffee beans, coffee was so highly regarded
they prevented them from as an aphrodisiac, under Turkish
sprouting anywhere outside law a man who did not provide
of Arabia. (It was an Indian enough coffee for his wife could
pilgrim who smuggled untreated be sued for divorce.
coffee beans out of Mecca to
grow elsewhere.)
12 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

1615–1700 sprout and transported it 1869
Coffee Enters Europe back to Martinique. Though Coffee Leaf Rust Appears in
through the Port of Venice the seedling endured storms, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
A Venetian merchant fell in drought and dismemberment, This disease destroyed most of
love with coffee in Turkey. So once returned to the Caribbean the coffee plantations in India,
enraptured was he that he it thrived and is believed to be Ceylon and other parts of Asia
brought it back to sell in Italy, father of many Coffea arabica during the next decade.
and coffee quickly spread trees alive today in the former
throughout Europe. Soon French colonies of Central and 1882
coffeehouses opened in Italy Latin America. The New York Coffee
(1645–1655), London (1652) Exchange Opens
and Paris (1672). They became 1727 It was called the CSCE (Coffee,
gathering places, and many Brazil Breaks the Dutch and Sugar and Cocoa Exchange).
important institutions originated French Monopoly
in coffeehouses—stockbrokers France had always protected its 1900–1910
gathered at Garraway’s in New World coffee plantations Coffee Innovation Hits
London evolved into the to avoid spreading cultivation. Its Stride
London Stock Exchange. But But when Brazilian Lieutenant R. W. Hills developed a process
in order to satisfy the growing Colonel Francisco de Melo that removed air from coffee
demand, more coffee needed Palheta was sent to resolve a packages, the so-called vacuum
to be grown. conflict between the French packaging. This process kept
and Dutch colonies in Guiana, beans fresh much longer.
1690 an opportunity arose. As he While nice for the consumer,
Coffee Smuggled out worked to smooth things over, it meant bad news for local
of Mocha Palheta also began an affair roasters, many of whom had
with the wife of French Guiana’s to close shop.
Dutch Begin Coffee governor. On parting, she
Exporting presented M. Palheta with a Luigi Bezzera, an Italian
By smuggling a coffee plant farewell bouquet where she’d businessman, invented the
out of the Arab port of Mocha, concealed fertile seeds of first commercial “espresso”
the Dutch became the first to coffee. (The same seeds that machine in 1901. Rumor has
transport and cultivate coffee would turn Brazil into one of it that he wanted his workers
commercially—first in Ceylon the world’s largest coffee- to have shorter coffee breaks,
and in their East Indian colony producing country. And would so he created a machine
of Java (where the beverage turn coffee from a beverage that sped up the process of
gets its nickname). Amsterdam for the elite into a drink for brewing. Hence the name
became a trading center everyday people.) espresso (“express” coffee).
for coffee.
1714
A Noble Gift for the
French King
The Dutch were now able to
grow coffee in large amounts
and gave coffee trees to
European royals as gifts.
One recipient was Louis XIV,
Learn More
who planted and cultivated
his “Noble Tree” in the royal We recommend the excellent book
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee
gardens. While on leave in and How It Transformed Our World
Paris, a naval officer stole a by Mark Pendergrast.
THE HISTORY OF COFFEE ∙ 13

1900 1933 1948
Germans Discover Dr. Ernesto Illy Develops The Word “Cappuccino”
Decaffeination the First Automatic Enters World’s Lexicon
According to another legend, Espresso Machine Cappuccino means “little
Ludwig Roselius and Karl He is known as the “Father of hood,” and the drink got its
Wimmer, German coffee the Espresso” and believed name for two reasons. Both
importers, accidentally figured the perfect shot of coffee must the coffee’s brown color and
out a way to decaffeinate coffee “paint the tongue.” the pointy cap of foam placed
in 1903. One of their shipments atop the drink reminded Italians
of coffee from Nicaragua was 1938 of the Capuchins, the brown-
soaked in seawater. While the Nestlé Commercializes robed hooded order of monks.
taste of the brewed coffee Instant Coffee
was still good, the beans had It took Max Morgenthaler seven 1966
lost most of their caffeine. years to perfect his freeze- Specialty Coffee Comes to
Because they did not want to dried instant coffee, and thus the United States
sell salty coffee, the importer’s Nescafé was born. It became Alfred Peet, the son of a Dutch
researchers discovered how to such a popular drink with the coffee roaster, is credited with
extract caffeine using solvents U.S. Armed Forces that during bringing custom coffee roasting
and steam. WWII the product was reserved to North America. Born in
exclusively for military use. Holland, he traveled the world,
1901 Sales were also boosted in working as a taster and buyer
Soluble Coffee Is Invented 1956 with the introduction of for various coffee and tea
Japanese-American chemist commercial breaks on U.S. TV; companies. When his career
Satori Kato created a soluble while not enough time to brew eventually took him to the
blend of coffee. In 1906 inventor a cup of tea, the breaks gave United States, he found the
George Washington took this people just enough time to coffee to be of such poor
concept and premiered the make a cup of (instant) coffee. quality that he started roasting
first mass-produced instant The tea companies, not to lose his own—and soon opened
coffee. Unfortunately, it had their edge, soon retaliated with Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Berkeley,
very little flavor, leaving much the introduction of tea bags. California. He developed an
room for improvement. appetite for dark-roasted coffee
1945 among enthusiastic academics
1908 Steam Gives Way to Piston and discerning coffee drinkers
German Housewife Invents Up to this point, all espresso who thirsted for more flavor
First Coffee Filter machines were steam-based, than was found in the weak
Dresden resident Melitta Bentz which added a bitter or burnt coffee of the day. And he
sought desperately to find a way taste to the coffee. Achille mentored Jerry Baldwin, Zev
to brew the ideal cup of coffee Gaggia spent years developing Siegl and Gordon Bowker in
without the bitterness that can a machine that abandoned his roasting style. These three
result from overbrewing. After steam and used manually young men would become the
much trial and error, she found operated piston pumps and founders of Starbucks, bringing
that her son’s school blotting water to extract the brew the dark roast to Seattle.
paper was the right tool. She at a higher pressure. His
cut it in a circle, placed it in a machine was a success, and
metal cup with holes poked his new technique revealed an
in the bottom, added ground unexpected discovery. For the
coffee and poured hot water first time, “crema” appeared on
over it to filter. This way, the a shot of espresso—the beautiful
grounds never reached the cup. light-colored foam that’s an
To this day we can still buy cone essential part of every espresso
filters by Melitta, the company shot today. The steam-free
founded by Frau Bentz. brewing technique and Gaggia’s
revolutionary patent of the lever-
operated piston are the basis of
espresso machines today.

We Are on a Journey
From our very beginning in Pike Place Market to where we stand today, Starbucks
has constantly evolved. We've stayed relevant, innovative and ahead of the curve.
To understand where we're going next, let's remember where we've come from—and
what we've experienced along the way.
1971
Starbucks Opens
Its First Store in Seattle’s
Pike Place Market 1973
It started in a brainstorming
The First Seattle
session that referenced the first
Roasting Plant Opens
mate (Starbuck) in Melville’s
novel Moby Dick. The name
evoked the romance of the high
seas and the seafaring tradition
of early coffee traders.* And the
rest, as we say, is our history.
store count: 1
1970 1975
* Source: Pour Your Heart Into It, Howard Schultz


1984
The First Starbucks®
Caffè Latte Is Served
1990
Starbucks Support Center
Expands and Builds a New
Roasting Plant
store count: 4 store count: 11 partner count: 100
1980 1985 1990
1983
Howard Schultz Visits Italy and
Is Inspired by the Country’s
Espresso Bars
1993
Second Roasting Plant
Opens in Kent, WA

2000
Starbucks Launches
Commitment to Origins™
1995
Starbucks
Roasting Plant
Opens in
York, PA
2004
First Farmer Support
Center Opens in
San José, Costa Rica
2000 2004
Special Reserve Coffee Coffee Masters
Program Launches Program
Launches
store count: 677 partner count: 11,544 store count: 8,569 partner count: 96,700
1995 2000 2005

2002
Starbucks Publishes
1998 First Corporate Social
Starbucks Partners with Responsibility Report
Conservation International
C.A.F.E.
Practices
2004
Starbucks Formalizes
C.A.F.E. Practices
in Partnership with
Conservation International
2007
Farmer Support Center
Opens in Rwanda

2013
Starbucks Purchases First Coffee
Farm—Hacienda Alsacia
2008 2014
Starbucks Reserve Roastery
®
Starbucks Launches Shared

and Tasting Room Opens
Planet Program
2009
Starbucks Becomes the
World’s Largest Buyer of
Fair Trade Certified™ Coffee
store count: 18,206 partner count: 149,000
2010 2015
2012
Starbucks Introduces
Starbucks Blonde Roast
®
2015
Starbucks Reaches 99%
Ethically Sourced Coffee

Key Takeaways
• Ethiopia is considered to be the birthplace of
coffee and legend has it a goat herder named
Kaldi discovered it.
• Starbucks opened its first store in Pike Place

Market in 1971.
• Our first Caffè Latte was served in 1984

at a Starbucks store. ®
• Pike Place Roast, the first blend created from

®
customer input, debuted in 2008.
• In 2013 we bought a coffee farm, Hacienda

Alsacia, for research and to better
understand the challenges of coffee farming.
• The first Starbucks Reserve Roastery and

®
Tasting Room opened in 2014 in Seattle,

Washington, just nine blocks from the original
Pike Place store.
Stop
Before continuing to the next
chapter, complete four of the
activities for this section.

COFFEE
AGRICULTURE
& FARMING

We’re on to the basics of coffee.
Where it’s grown, different
varietals, influences and the life
cycle of the bean from seeds
and harvest to sorting and
processing. It’s an inside look at
the types of farms that produce
incredible coffee.
Learning Objectives

• Describe several factors that

affect both the flavor and
quality of coffee.
• E xplain the differences

between the two main species
of coffee: arabica and robusta.
• Understand the coffee tree

life cycle and annual cycle.
• Understand the basics of

coffee varietals.
• Describe how coffee is

harvested and the three main
processing methods.
• Understand various farm types

in our supply chain.
• Understand how growing

regions impact flavor and
why each one is important
to Starbucks.

Altitude & Microclimate
We only purchase arabica coffees that grow at higher elevations, which have a microclimate—
temperature, sunlight, rainfall—that makes it ideal for growing high-quality coffees.
The coffee cherry grows at a slower rate in high altitudes with warm temperatures during
the day and cooler temperatures at night. This in turn produces beans with a complex
flavor profile. The prime growing altitude of coffee varies by region.
Bean Density 
How does the altitude at which coffee grows impact its quality? 
At high elevations, warm temperatures during the day and cooler
temperatures at night slow down the coffee cherry’s growth. More
time on the tree means more time for the beans to develop a
complex flavor profile. The result of high-grown coffee? A harder,
smaller bean rich with complex flavor. And the denser the bean,
the darker the roast it can take.
High Elevation
High-quality coffee thrives at the highest elevations coffee trees can
grow, anywhere from 3,000–6,000 feet (900–1,800 meters).
Low Elevation
Lower-quality coffee that is less dense grows at lower altitude.
Production may be increased, but the coffee does not develop
flavorful profiles.

These examples are green-bean grading—specific for Guatemala.
The categories are a combination of coffee industry standards and
Starbucks terminology. These elevation criteria are similar in Mexico and
Costa Rica but differ in other parts of the world. For example, in Africa
green beans are graded by size—e.g., Kenya AA (larger) or AB (smaller).
1,600 METERS+
strictly hard bean
1,350–1,600 METERS
hard bean
1,200–1,300 METERS
semi-hard bean
1,000–1,200 METERS
extra-prime washed
600 METERS+
prime washed
COFFEE AGRICULTURE & FARMING ∙ 23

Terroir
Terroir is a French term, literally meaning “earth,” and is used to describe the
environmental factors that determine the taste profile of coffee.
Coffee, like wine grapes, gets much of its flavor from the specific growing conditions
and processing methods where it’s grown.
Terroir includes the soil,

microclimate and micro-
organisms that are unique
to a growing location.
A location’s terroir will
determine the type of
coffee tree variety that
can be planted in that
particular location.

Species of Coffee Trees
Not all coffee is created equal. You already know that the two most recognized species of
commercially grown coffee trees are arabica and robusta. They greatly differ from each
other, and here’s why we only purchase arabica coffee:
Arabica Robusta
60 percent of world’s production 40 percent of world’s production
Grows best at high altitudes Usually grows at lower altitudes

(lower temperatures). Lower yield. (higher temperatures). Higher yield.
More refined flavor, elegant body Less refined flavor

and acidity
Approximately 1 percent caffeine by weight Approximately 2 percent caffeine by weight
Less resistant to diseases, pests, drought More resistant to diseases, pests, drought
Species name Coffea arabica Species name Coffea canephora (robusta

refers to the hardiness of the tree, not to the
flavor in the cup)
Higher price point Lower price point
Types of Arabica Trees

Similar to apples, coffee has different types of trees or varietals. For example, common apple varietals
include Red Delicious and Granny Smith, while the four most common arabica coffee varietals outside
of Ethiopia are Bourbon, Typica, Caturra and Catuai.
In Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, however, there are hundreds of varietals—with new varietals (hybrids
and natural mutations) still being discovered.

Why Varietals Matter to You
Varietals are one major component of flavor and quality. Varietals need to be matched to a farm’s altitude,
microclimate and agricultural practices in order to deliver quality and productivity for the producer.
There are hundreds of different varietals, each chosen based on location, environment, taste and yield.
As a Coffee Master, you should be able to share with your team members and customers:
A few common examples of varietals:
Typica Bourbon
VA R IE TA L Typica grows well in all types of Bourbon trees require higher
topography. It’s higher yielding maintenance than most other
than Bourbon but still noted for varietals. And yet the trees are
its cup quality. However, it is the lowest yielding. Why go
susceptible to disease, fungi to all the trouble? Because the
and pests. characteristics in the cup are
so complex.
B EA N
C H E R RY
BRANCH
• Leaves are ridged with a • Leaf nodes are close

pointy end
• Cherries are shorter and
• Slightly elongated beans rounder than Typica
• Long distance between • Cherries can come in red,
nodes of fruit clusters yellow or orange colors

• Varietals are a natural—and critical—component of coffee quality and flavor.
• We highlight varietal stories with our line of Starbucks Reserve coffees, many of which feature
®
a single or a rare varietal of coffee.
• Core coffees are blends of different varietals so we don't identify varietals on packaging.
Caturra Catuai Gesha

Caturra is one of the early Catuai is another early hybrid Sometimes listed as “Geisha.”
hybrids developed in Brazil to developed in Brazil to be This is an Ethiopian heirloom
be a sturdier coffee tree with a stronger and higher yielding. varietal that has been
higher yield. But its productive Catuai produces a smaller bean transplanted to different areas
life span is shorter than those than do other varietals. in Central and Latin America. Its
of other varietals. considered a sibling to Typica,
instead of a descendant, with
its own unique characteristics.
•C
herries in tight clusters • Similar to Caturra • Spare and slender branches
•S
horter intermodal distance • Smaller, tighter branches • Thin, elongated leaves
• Slightly more curled leaves • Cherry and bean are larger
and longer than Typica

The Future of Coffee through Hybrids
Starbucks is constantly striving to support sustainable coffee
production: we consult with farmers on agricultural practices as well
as on coffee varietal selection. The goal is to provide a better, more
disease-resistant coffee supply. We work with farmers and agronomists
at origin to identify and create new hybrids of coffee trees.
Coffee trees are self-pollinating, meaning the flower pollinates itself

to produce a cherry. Different varietals are created by naturally
hybridizing the coffee tree through traditional techniques where
pollen from one plant is used to fertilize another.


Seed to Tree
Green coffee beans are actually seeds. If you plant one soon after harvest in a moist,
shaded area with a thin cover of healthy soil—with space to grow—then the green beans
can grow into a tree seedling.
A few weeks after planting, At six weeks the stem rises from After two months the cotyledon
the seed germinates—the the soil. This stage is called the separates into two embryonic
underground roots spread “matchstick” stage because the leaves that nourish the plant
and a small green stem rounded cotyledon (the primary through photosynthesis and will
pushes upward. leaf of the embryo) tops the give way to the first true leaves.
stem like the bulb of a match. This is also called the “butterfly
It’s also called the “soldier” stage stage" because the first leaves
because the seedling resembles resemble butterflies.
a soldier standing at attention,
capped by a helmetlike bean.
At this stage, it’s critical to select

the best seedlings to transplant,
and move them to a nursery
where they will spend the next
year in a protected environment:
monitored daily for temperature,
water and pests.
Coffee trees can live up to a hundred

years, but their productive fruit-bearing
life span typically ranges from 20–25
years (with pruning). That’s 3–4 years
of initial growth for about a 25-year
return on investment.
30 · COFFEE MASTER

At four months they’ll produce After about a year, young plants After about three years, coffee
their first branches and are that have developed a dark trees usually fully mature—they
checked for plant size, leaf color, green color, healthy foliage and start flowering and begin full
plant structure and distance a prominent root system are production of coffee cherries.
between branches. Any plant transplanted into a field. Then This means it usually takes about
that doesn’t meet standards the farmer waits. It typically 3–4 years for a coffee plant to
is discarded. takes about three years for begin producing coffee suitable
a coffee tree to mature and for harvest. Farmers invest in new
produce its first commercial coffee plants because they have
harvest. During this critical time, the potential to produce coffee
plants are protected from frost, for 25–30 years.
drought and weeds.
COFFEE AGRICULTURE & FARMING · 31

The Coffee Life Cycle
A coffee tree will flower and produce coffee cherries once a year. This happens at different
times around the globe as each growing region passes from flowers triggered by rains to
harvest during dry season.
Below is the yearly life cycle of a coffee tree in Costa Rica.
The cherries are ready for harvest

when they are a deep red color.
Cherries will ripen at different times
around a farm and even on the same Pruning is an important part of
tree. To ensure quality in the coffee, farm management: if a tree is left
alone, it can grow up to 30 feet
NG
cherries are handpicked, one at a
time and a picker will revisit each E STI (10 meters) tall, making them
RV very hard to harvest and actually
HA
tree a few times during the
harvest months to ensure DR decreasing their productivity.
Y S
they are only selecting m ber Janu EA
ece ary SO
N
the ripe cherries from D
each tree. Fe
r
be br
m u
PR
e
UN
ar
ov
y
N
IN
G
ber
Ma
Octo
rch
ber
Apri
tem
l
Sep
G
IN N
PE
t
us
FL
ay
RI
ug
O
A
W
ER
N IN
O
AS Jun G
SE July e
Y
IN
RA
After the flowers fall off the tree, a Coffee trees typically blossom
cluster of green cherries forms. As the once a year. The buds bloom
coffee cherries ripen, they begin to turn into jasmine-scented flowers,
red. The darker red the cherry, the sweeter often triggered by a long rain.
the fruit and the more developed the coffee
bean inside. It takes nine months from the
time a coffee tree flowers to producing ripe
cherries ready for picking.
Once fully mature, coffee trees are typically

pruned at 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 meters) to make it
easier to harvest and to increase a tree’s
productivity. That’s right: productivity. Like all
plants, pruning actually increases a tree’s
32 · COFFEE MASTER
productivity, or the amount of fruit it will yield.

Enemies of Coffee
With many enemies such as disease, pests and climate change, growing high-quality
coffee can be challenging. Here are a few of the most prevalent enemies to coffee farms.
Disease
Coffee leaf rust is a fungus that attacks and destroys the leaves of coffee trees. It initially appears as small,
pale yellow spots, which grow larger and darker in color, eventually taking on the burnished red color that
gives the disease its name.
Without leaves to capture the sun’s energy via photosynthesis, the coffee cherries are deprived of
necessary nutrients and stop growing. This leads to smaller yields, which can have disastrous effects on
farmers. Even small dips in production can force farmers to turn to other crops—or abandon their land
altogether.
This fungus, also known as Hemileia vastatrix or la roya, was first documented in the 1860s. It has since
spread to every major coffee-producing region in the world, appearing in the Western hemisphere as
recently as 1976.
Fungicides have helped contain coffee rust, but because the spores are dispersed by the wind, long-term
eradication has been unsuccessful. Some trees can be saved once infected, but this requires large amounts
of chemicals and additives that ultimately damage the soil and, of course, the coffee.
Coffee Pests
The coffee berry borer is a small beetle that bores into the coffee fruit. Pruning is the best defense to deter
the beetle, and ensuring that all coffee cherries are picked during harvest.
Nematodes are wormlike organisms that attack the root systems of plants by feeding on sap and
essentially creating knots in the root systems. These prevent the plant from getting essential nutrients.
Climate Change
Climate change has already had an impact on coffee-growing regions through increased temperatures and
fluctuations in rainfall, either too much or too little rain. Coffee consumption continues to rise, but the land
with growing conditions suitable to grow high-quality coffee will become scarce.

On a Farm Harvesting Cherries
Do you remember when you first learned that coffee grew on trees? When you first made
the discovery that coffee is an agricultural crop, subject to the whims of Mother Nature,
the nourishment of the land where it grew and the imprint of processing?
And that when it reaches our stores, a bag of coffee is still a “live” product to be enjoyed
(like any harvested product) at its peak of freshness.
This can be one of the most enriching conversations to have with customers and new team
members. Along with origin and elevation, connecting a bag of coffee to the farmer that
brought it to life and the processing that drew out its flavors deepens our appreciation for
the product. Let’s look at the hard work and good fortune it takes to nurture, cultivate,
harvest and process a wonderful crop of coffee.

Timing for Cherries
It takes about nine months from flowering to the time the cherry is
ready to be picked.
The timing of harvest is dependent on the location of the growing

It takes about an hour for a region and can even vary at the microregion within the same region,
harvester to pick a basket of depending on elevation, rainfall, sunlight and soil composition.
25 pounds (11 kilograms). Each
harvester typically picks 6–7
baskets per day, bringing in
roughly 150–175 pounds (45–70
Harvesting Coffee
kilograms), which equates to When the cherry ripens, it’s ready for harvest. Farmers will want to
about 20–30 pounds (9–13 harvest their crops at the peak of ripeness to help ensure the best
kilograms) of roasted coffee. possible quality: this is when the coffee cherry is a deep red color.
Six pounds of coffee cherries will Naturally a farm’s harvest will mature and ripen over the course of the
produce one pound of roasted harvest season: the season varies by region and elevation, but will
coffee; 25 cherries are needed typically range from three to six months. You will often see different
for one shot of espresso. rates of coffee-cherry development within a single tree, meaning that
the quality-conscious farmer will need to harvest multiple times from
25 cherries =
a single plot of land to help ensure the best quality.
1 shot of espresso
Harvesting coffee is a lot of hard work, and perhaps the most
significant factor to enabling effective and efficient harvesting is
the farm’s topography and method harvesting.
Handpicking is the most common method for high-quality arabica

coffees, and the best way to ensure a consistent harvest. Cherries are
picked one by one, usually early in the day when temperatures are
cooler. Workers use great care to both preserve the cherry and the
tree’s health.
Farms on flatter land in more economically developed regions may

employ machines to harvest coffee. These machines essentially
shake a tree loose of its fruit before moving along to the next tree.
Following this harvest, the coffee will then be sorted by the ripeness
of the fruit.
Strip-picking is another form of harvesting that takes place typically

as the final harvest picking. Similar to machine harvesting, the picker
will indiscriminately “strip” a tree’s branch of its coffee cherries in a
single, efficient pull along the branch. It’s quick, but it doesn’t deliver
the most quality-focused harvest.

The Anatomy of a Bean
The actual coffee bean is the innermost 20 percent of the coffee cherry. To get to that bean,
layers of fruit and protective skin must be scraped away. If you were to peel the outermost
skin of a coffee cherry, you’d be holding something similar to a peeled grape or lychee—a
thick, sticky layer surrounding an inner seed.
Outer Skin
The outer skin on the
cherry is taut and thick.
You could bite through it.
Pulp
Mostly water and sugar, the
cherry’s pulp by weight accounts
for nearly 80 percent of the coffee
harvest. Often it’s reused as
compost for the coffee fields.
Mucilage
This sweet, sticky honey-like
substance coats the bean.
Parchment
The thin white parchmentlike
layer, similar to the papery skin
on a peanut.
Silver Skin
A layer that protects the bean.
Green Bean
The actual coffee bean. Most
coffee cherries have two beans
inside, face to face. However, in
about 5–10 percent of cherries,
only one bean develops in the
center. This type of coffee bean
is called a “peaberry.”

Processing Methods
Processing coffee is mainly the removal of the bean from the fruit; however, quality is also
assessed during processing. While there are many ways to approach processing coffee, we
frequently group the approaches into three simplified processing methods: washed, semi-
washed and natural (“dry”) processing.
Each method helps shape a coffee’s quality and flavor.
Keep in Mind …
Every country is unique. A growing region’s natural climate,
resources and coffee supply chain will also shape the flavor.
The region’s infrastructure, landscape, traditions and access to
resources will influence its approach to processing. There are a
multitude of approaches to processing, but most will generally
fall into one of the major three categories.
Also depending on the available facilities, the coffee may

be processed on the same farm where it was grown, or it
may be transported to a mill for processing.

Washed Processing
As its name suggests, this method relies on the availability of water.
1. Receiving
Delivered to a wet mill where they are measured.
2. De-pulping
The cherries are sent down washing channels into de-pulpers, which physically
removes the fruit and skin from the bean.
3a. Fermentation*
The beans sit in a fermentation tank for 18–36 hours. During the initial stages
of fermentation, enzymes break down mucilage so it can be removed.
3b. De-mucilaging
The beans are scrubbed (mechanically) to remove sticky mucilage, and then rinsed.
4. Drying
The coffee beans are dried on a large outdoor patio, on drying tables or in mechanical
drum dryers. When dried outside, the beans are constantly raked to ensure they dry
evenly. This process can take five to seven days.
5. Resting
Dried coffee beans are bagged and transferred to warehouses to rest for two months
while they continue to develop flavor.
6. Hulling
The rested coffee is then hulled, the final step that removes the parchment around the
outside of the bean.

*Note on water use: As coffee production has become more globalized, there has been a shift in environmental
awareness. And in many cases, the traditional fermentation step in wet processing, which uses a lot of water,
has been replaced by removing the mucilage mechanically. This approach uses less than 5 percent of the
water needed for fermentation.

Semi-washed Processing
The semi-washed method is often associated with the coffees of
Indonesia, like our Sumatra coffee.
1. De-pulping
Right after harvest, while still on the farm, coffee cherries are washed, cleaned and
de-pulped using small, hand-cranked machines.
2. Rinsing
Beans are soaked in baskets of water for one to two hours, then rubbed together to
remove the mucilage. Some of the fruit stays on the bean, contributing to flavor.
3. Partial Drying
Rinsed beans are then laid out to reduce excess moisture.
4. Receiving
Beans leave the farm at this point and are transported to a milling station.
5. Continued Drying
Beans are rinsed and laid out to dry on tarps to further reduce moisture. This can take
one to five days, depending on weather.
6. Hulling
Beans are hulled to remove any dried mucilage and parchment in one step.
7. Final Drying
The beans are returned to the drying patios and raked. They are then sorted, bagged
and prepared for transport.

Natural (“Dry”) Processing
What’s unique about this method is the absence of water. In natural
(or “dry”) processing, the fruit of the cherry is allowed to dry right on
the bean, which is why coffees processed this way taste so much of
fruit. Farmers across the world may experiment with natural processing,
but it is more frequently applied in Brazil, Yemen and Ethiopia.
1. Receiving
After harvest, the coffee cherries are taken to a processing location.
2. Drying
The coffee cherries are laid out on raised drying beds and turned to ensure the fruit does
not rot or ferment during drying. After several days, the cherries will become very hard,
like the skin of a raisin.
3. Hulling
The dried cherries are hulled to remove the pulp, mucilage and parchment all in one step.
Then the beans are sorted.
4. Final Drying
The beans are dried completely before being bagged for transport.

Occasionally a farm will process its coffee using a variation of the
semi-washed approach. Processing can have a major impact on the
coffee’s flavor; farms and exporters may explore and apply different
processing methods in pursuit of unique flavors or qualities to sell.
Some other forms of semi-washed processing

include:
Pulped Natural
Commonly found in parts of Brazil, this method mechanically removes
the fruit and flesh of the cherry from the coffee bean but leaves a lot
of the mucilage. The coffee is dried in its mucilage, with the sugar in
the mucilage having noticeable influence on the coffee’s taste profile,
affecting the body and sweetness. This process requires a very
careful approach to drying to avoid unintentional flavor defects.
Honey-Washed
Similar to pulped natural processing, this method is more likely to be
found in parts of Central America. It uses less water than the pulped
natural method, but may leave more mucilage and fruit intact before
drying. This process also requires a lot of care and attention in order
to avoid defect development.
Producers are understandably very hesitant to experiment with

processing: the potential risk to a crop’s quality and purchase price
often outweighs the opportunity to deliver a different flavor profile
or apply a more efficient approach. Keep in mind that incorrectly
applying a method can damage or completely ruin an entire
coffee crop.

Sorting for Quality
After coffee is processed—regardless of the processing method
used—all green coffee is sorted by color and density, either by
hand or by machine to ensure quality.
All coffee is sorted according to a shared principle: density means

quality.
Beans that don’t meet a certain weight are discarded as defective—

typically meaning they’re broken, hollow, over-dried, too small or
too big.
Beans are also closely evaluated for size, color flaws and other
imperfections.
Bagging
After final sorting, coffee is bagged in burlap sacks, and the bags
are weighed and sewn shut.
Beans are bagged in burlap sacks that vary in weight from 132–154
pounds (60–70 kilograms) depending on the country of origin.
Manual sorting Density sorting Electronic color-sorting Final bagging

Looking for defective, As the table shakes, heavier machine By quality.
broken or specific sizes. beans (denser) are sorted Using an electronic “eye” this
as higher quality. machine sorts out color defects
that indicate lower quality.

Sorting Peaberries
In about 5–10 percent of
cherries, only one bean
develops in the center. This
type of coffee bean is called
a “peaberry.” Peaberries are
often described as having more
flavor than other beans, but
there’s no scientific proof to
support that claim. Producers
commonly separate peaberries
from other beans and sell them
as distinct lots. Coffee roasters
prefer to roast peaberries
separately because it’s critical
to have near-uniformity in bean
size to ensure an even roast in a
batch of roasted coffee.

Overview of Farms
Coffee is grown on many types of farms from small family-run operations to large estates
and cooperatives.
Farm Size
Why does the size of a farm matter? In the coffee industry, part of what determines how a farm is classified
is its size. The size of a farm is defined in terms of hectares. One hectare is about 2.5 acres.
The size will typically determine the amount of infrastructure needed on a farm, affecting important things
like labor, supplies and production.
For example, it takes significantly more labor to manage a 15-hectare farm than a 2-hectare farm.
The size also helps determine the relationship Starbucks has with the farm, determining the magnitude of
support and consultation we provide to the producer.
Size is relative.
S MA L L
For Starbucks, a small farm is less
than 12 hectares. In a large producing
country such as Brazil, however, they
classify a small farm as up to 30
SMAL L
hectares. This is because Brazil is
home to some of the largest coffee
farms in the world.
M EDIUM
MED I U M
A medium farm is typically
12–50 hectares.
L A RG E
A large farm is usually larger than
50 hectares.
L AR GE 1 H ECTA RE

Types of Farms
We source our coffee from the following types of farms: smallholders, cooperatives and estates.
Smallholders
The majority of the world’s coffee supply is grown on smallholder
farms that are roughly 2–5 hectares in size, producing 1,000–2,000
pounds (450–900 kilograms) of coffee beans. These farms, located
all around the globe, rarely process their own coffee and rely on
other milling facilities. Depending on the size of the farm, Starbucks
purchases may represent an entire farm’s annual best-quality
production. Of the more than 500,000 farms we purchase coffee
from, over 90 percent are smallholders. We sometimes purchase
a smallholder farm’s entire highest-quality production for a
whole year.
Cooperatives
Cooperatives are smallholder coffee farmers organized into
groups who join together to help promote and sell their coffee.
Cooperatives vary in size, and they can include 100–15,000 farms.
Generally cooperatives are centered around a mill or processing
facility where all of the individual farmers bring their coffee to
be processed. In essence each farmer is a shareholder in the
cooperative from which Starbucks purchases coffee.
Estates
Because they combine both farming and processing in one
location, estates can directly oversee quality throughout the
entire process. Estates can be wholly owned by local individuals,
companies or families.

L AT IN AME R I CA AF R IC A
Coffee trees grow

in the equatorial
band between the
tropics of Cancer
and Capricorn
known as
"the Coffee Belt."
CO FFE E - G R O W I N G AR E AS

A SI A / PACI F IC
There are 62 coffee-growing countries in the world; Starbucks buys from about half of them.
Our coffee buyers travel across the Coffee Belt to discover and buy the finest green coffee each region has
to offer—high-quality arabica coffees that are carefully selected for those defining flavor characteristics
that distinguish their origins.
These are the three primary coffee-growing regions, each distinct in its landscape, climate and the flavor it
imparts to the coffees grown and processed there.
Latin America, Africa and Asia / Pacific.

Latin America
The coffee-growing region in Latin America includes Mexico and countries in Central
America and South America. We buy primarily washed coffees from Latin America for their
consistent taste and quality, using them as the foundation for many of our favorite blends.
Latin American coffees tend to have well-balanced flavors of cocoa or nuts as well as a crisp,
bright acidity.
Quick Facts
• Starbucks purchases coffee
from approximately 10 different
countries in Latin America. On the
next pages, we have highlighted
Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia
and Brazil.
• To learn more about our other
Latin American coffees, refer to the
Coffee and Tea Resource Manual.

Guatemala
The name Guatemala means “Land of Trees” in the Mayan-Toltec
language. So it’s no surprise that Guatemala boasts some of the best
conditions in the world for growing coffee.
High altitudes, mild climate, cool evening temperatures, abundance

of sunlight, and dependable rainy and dry seasons are all key factors
that ensure coffees grown in this part of the world will be consistently
Guatemala’s Coffee Regions flavorful.
Acatenango Valley,
Antigua Coffee, Traditional Thanks to the region’s many active volcanoes, the mineral-rich soil
Atitlán, Rainforest Cobán, has also contributed significantly to Guatemala’s production of some
Fraijanes Plateau, Highland of the finest coffees in the world.
Huehuetenango, New Oriente
and Volcanic San Marcos.
Quick Facts
• Coffee from the Antigua region
• Coffee arrived in Guatemala via
is grown at altitudes above 5,000
Jesuit priests in 1750.
feet (1,524 meters).
• There are 90,000 coffee farms in
• The coffee trees are harvested
Guatemala; 61,200 are small.
November to February.
• Guatemala’s average yearly coffee
• The Antigua region, located
production is around 3.5 million
among three volcanoes,
bags (462 million pounds / 210
produces some of the best coffee
million kilograms).
Guatemala has to offer, with a
1 bag = 130 pounds
strong and passionate tradition
of coffee horticulture.
Why Guatemala is so important to Starbucks.

“When we were visiting a
farm, Las Nubes, we woke in Guatemalan coffee plays a critical role in many of our favorite blends
the morning and drove up and customer favorites and is one of our core single-origin coffees.
the farm road to a lookout. Guatemala is also one of the most coffee leaf rust-challenged
On the way up, a volcano a few countries in the world, which was an impetus behind the Starbucks ®
miles away erupted, almost One Tree for Every Bag Commitment launched in 2015.
as if on cue. It was amazing.
Steam rising in the crisp
morning air and slicing the
clear blue sky in half.”
– Starbucks Coffee
Ambassador

Costa Rica
Bright colors, lush green landscapes. Jovial people, smiles, laughter.
The lure of coastal towns dotting the Caribbean Sea and Pacific
Ocean, volcanic mountains and sparkling rivers. Everything has its
own pace, and you feel it as you slowly walk along the breathtaking
sandy beaches: Costa Rica is a haven. It is the definitive nature
destination of Central America, boasting an abundance of national
parks and biological reserves and endless tracts of tropical wilds.
Costa Rica’s Coffee Regions
The mild climate makes this an ideal retreat, as well as a wonderful
Tarrazú, Tres Rios, Heredia place for coffee to grow.
and Alajuela.
With a government strongly committed to both quality and
sustainability of coffee, Costa Rica is a valuable origin for Starbucks.
We buy coffees from several regions and from farms ranging in
elevation from 3,900–5,900 feet (1,200–1,800 meters). This variety
and consistent quality make Costa Rican coffees indispensable
components in many of our blends. A dependable climate and high
altitude, in addition to the area’s many active volcanoes, provide
perfect growing conditions, leading to coffees with great acidity and
balance with overtones of spice, flowers and nuts.
Quick Facts
• Costa Rica has four mountain • Coffee beans are harvested
ranges and 112 volcanic craters. November to February.
• Roughly 20,000 square miles • Costa Rica is committed to

(51,000 square kilometers), it has a preserving the environment
population of 4.2 million people. and its wildlife population.
• Costa Rica’s average yearly coffee

bags (199 million pounds / 90
million kilograms).
1 bag = 130 pounds

Why Costa Rica is important to Starbucks.
“I’ve been told there are more
than 100 volcanoes in Costa Despite being a relatively small country in terms of production,
Rica—though only seven Costa Rica is very important within the industry as well as to
are active. The most active Starbucks. The Costa Rican government is strongly committed to
is Arenal, which last had a both the quality and sustainability of coffee: the country is very
major eruption in 2000. I’ve influential among coffee-growing countries in the region, and often
read reports of eruptions that pioneers best practices in supporting producers. We buy coffees
describe red-hot boulders from several different regions and from farms ranging in elevation
larger than cars. I haven’t seen from 3,900–5,900 feet (1,200–1,800 meters).
that, but another, long-term
effect of the volcanoes that I
have experienced is great coffee,
nourished by volcanic soil.” Costa Rica is particularly special to us.
– Starbucks Coffee In 2004 Starbucks opened its first Farmer Support Center in San
Agronomist José, Costa Rica, in an effort to help improve the lives of coffee
farmers and ensure the future availability of high-quality coffee from
Central America. Our team of agronomists, cuppers and quality
experts works directly with farmers and local government officials to
improve the production of high-quality coffee through implementing
better growing and conservation techniques.
Costa Rica is also where Starbucks first working farm is located—

Hacienda Alsacia. Situated in Alajuela, Costa Rica, our farm sits on
the nutrient-rich land near the Poás Volcano. We purchased the farm
in 2013 with a vision for researching and understanding everything
that goes into coffee production in order to better support farmers.
We’re now growing our own coffee on Hacienda Alsacia and
performing vital research for the future of the coffee industry. To
learn more about Hacienda Alsacia, check out the “Ethical Sourcing”
section of this Coffee Master Journal.

Colombia
Nestled on the north end of the Andes mountain chain—just 4
degrees north of the equator line—Colombia is home to many
volcanoes, creating a soil type perfect for coffee growing.
The eruption of ash nurtures the soil with key minerals that are
very good for coffee trees.
There are many climates that shift with the changes in altitude and
Colombia’s Coffee Regions
location throughout the mountain ranges: warm and humid in the
Nariño, Cauca, Huila, Tolima, valleys, cold and snowy across the tops of the volcanoes.
Valle, Quindío, Risaralda, Caldas,
Antioquia, Cundinamarca, The large span of Colombia enables a multitude of microclimates
Boyacá, Casanare, Santander, across several growing regions that are ideal for coffee growing
Cesar, La Guajira, Magdalena, and help shape unique flavor profiles. Colombia’s incredible terroir
Meta and Caquetá. diversity enables Starbucks to purchase coffee with a wide range of
tastes and flavors.
Quick Facts
• Colombia’s average yearly coffee • A s of 2016, Colombia is the third-
production is around 13.3 million largest coffee producer in the
bags (1,756 million pounds / 798 world.
million kilograms). 1 bag = 130 • In the north of Colombia, the
pounds principal harvest runs from
• In some parts of Colombia there September to December, with
are actually two harvest seasons: the mitaca in April to May. In
a primary season and a secondary the south, the principal harvest
harvest called the mitaca (“fly and mitaca seasons are directly
crop”). This is typically attributed opposite of the north.
to Colombia’s latitude: Colombia
is one of the few coffee-growing
countries that directly straddles
the equator.
Why Colombia is so important to Starbucks.

Among all the countries Starbucks purchase coffee from, Colombia
provides the most diversity of coffees. This variety and consistent
quality make Colombian coffees a critical part of many Starbucks ®
blends and Starbucks Reserve coffees.

®
In order to support and partner with the farmers throughout

Colombia’s very large coffee industry, we opened our Colombia
Farmer Support Center in 2013, in Manizales, Colombia.

Brazil
Coffee came to Latin America through Brazil; the first coffee tree
in Brazil was planted in 1727. With smooth, rolling hills, Southern
Brazil is perfectly suited to large, sprawling farms. Today Brazil is
the world’s biggest coffee-producing country in the world. No other
country is close to Brazil’s scale of coffee production, and Brazilian
estates are typically larger than any other country’s large farms.
Brazil’s Coffee Regions
Minas Gerais, São Paulo,
Espiritu Santo, Bahia, Paraná, Quick Facts
and Rodônia. • Brazil’s average yearly coffee • Coffee beans are harvested
production is around 45.3 May to August.
million bags (5,979.6 million
pounds / 2,718 million kilograms).
1 bag = 130 pounds
Why Brazil is so important to Starbucks.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer of arabica coffee. As such a
major producer, with many of the largest farms and co-ops in the
world, Brazil is a leader in many best practices for coffee production.
By maximizing productivity, while still retaining quality, a typical
Brazilian producer is able to manage an overall lower cost of
production than many producers.
You can find coffee from Brazil in many of our favorite blends and
beverages. Brazil’s reliability, consistency and volume as a coffee-
producing country enables us to offer many of our favorite Starbucks ®
blends around the world.

Africa
Home to some of the world’s most exotic coffees, Africa produces many coffees that set high
standards for quality. Key flavors from this region are fruity, floral and citrus. Kenyan and
Tanzanian coffees bring to mind images of wide-open skies and African landscapes with
jacaranda trees towering over coffee farms. Our commitment to building relationships and
purchasing high-quality coffee in Africa is something we hope will continue to grow.
Quick Fact
• Starbucks purchases coffee from
approximately 10 countries in
Africa. In the next pages, we have
highlighted Ethiopia, Kenya
and Rwanda.

Ethiopia 
Today Ethiopian coffee traditions—from growing to roasting to
brewing to sharing—are virtually untouched. They remain at the
heart of the culture.
The leading characteristics of Ethiopian coffees take their cue from

nature: often coffee from this country has distinct floral and fruit
Ethiopia’s Most Famous notes and transcendent aromas. Samples of Harrar, Yirgacheffe and
Coffee Regions the more readily available Sidamo are often the talk of the tasting
room. High altitude, old-style trees and the Ethiopian people’s
Harrar, Yirgacheffe and Sidamo. reverence for coffee all contribute to the uniqueness of flavor.
Coffee drinking has been part of Ethiopian life for centuries. An

elaborate coffee ceremony, which includes roasting, grinding and
brewing the coffee, is still a staple of social life today. The beans
are carefully roasted in a metal pan over hot coals; water is heated
in a clay coffeepot called a jabena. Once roasted, the beans are
ground using a simple pestle-like tool and then brewed. The whole
ceremony lasts more than an hour, and several rounds of coffee
served in small hand-painted cups are enjoyed by all. Our coffee
buyers report that this is some of the best coffee to be found on trips
to origin.
Quick Facts
• Coffee makes up more than half • Ethiopia exclusively exports
of Ethiopia’s export earnings. arabica coffee.
• Ethiopia’s average yearly coffee • There are 875,000 acres of
production is around 6.6 million cultivated coffee-growing areas in
bags (871.2 million pounds / 396 Ethiopia and 125,000 acres of wild
million kilograms). coffee trees.
1 bag = 130 pounds
Why Ethiopia is so important to Starbucks.

“The sounds of Ethiopia I’ll
never forget: the workers at the Ethiopia is the ultimate coffee origin: trace its history all the way back
washing stations singing while to those early, wild-growing trees that tantalized Kaldi and his goats.
they worked. Beautiful happy Today the incredible coffees that come from Ethiopia inspire many of
melodies. Some bittersweet us at Starbucks and remind us of the wonder of coffee. We value the
or touching, but always full incredible pride, passion and flavors that come from Ethiopia’s coffee
of passion. To them, singing industry. More than a thousand years after the discovery of coffee,
was like breathing. It’s like the Ethiopia’s potential still fascinates the world: unique and new varieties
opposite way that we cradle our of coffee trees and flavors are still being discovered … with many
headphones at work or on the more left to explore.
bus, keeping music to ourselves
in our heads. In Ethiopia it was
like everyone had some kind
of unlimited jukebox in their
hearts, and they would just
keep singing and singing.”
– Starbucks Coffee
Agronomist

Kenya
In East Africa, not far from where snow falls on the equator, some of
the best coffee in the world grows in fertile volcanic soil. The land
around Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest mountain, and Kenya’s
high-altitude hills are dotted with coffee farms. Between Mount
Kenya and the capital city of Nairobi is where some of the best
coffee in the world grows, accounting for 85 percent or more of
Kenya’s annual coffee crop. The rest is found in western Kenya,
Kenya’s Coffee Regions
the Rift Valley and the Taita area.
High plateaus around Mount
Kenya, the Aberdare Range, Kisii,
Nyanza, Bungoma, Nakuru and Quick Facts
Kericho.
• Kenya borders Ethiopia to the • Kenya’s average yearly coffee
north; however, coffee was production is around 850 million
not cultivated in Kenya until bags (112.2 million pounds / 51
1893 when French missionaries million kilograms).
introduced coffee trees and set 1 bag = 130 pounds
up mission farms near Nairobi.
• Similar to Colombia, Kenya has a
second harvest: the first crop is
harvested October to December,
with a second crop June
to August.
Why Kenya is so important to Starbucks.

“I remember how dry and arid
things felt until you reached Kenya is important because the crisp, clean citrus notes that come
a coffee-growing area. Out of from its coffees and processing make for some of the best and most-
nowhere, greenery and coffee sought-after coffees in the world. In its own distinctive way, Kenya
gardens appeared: a true oasis.” challenges what we think is possible in coffee and inspires us to
continue our coffee exploration.
– Starbucks Coffee Buyer

Rwanda
Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the heart of Africa. Typically,
Ethiopia and Kenya dominate our perception of African coffee. But
a stretch of the East African Rift Valley runs through Rwanda’s central
and western regions, providing the altitude necessary to grow
excellent coffee.
Coffee was a substantial part of the country’s economy in the

Rwanda’s Coffee Regions
early 1990s, prior to Rwanda’s genocide crisis in 1994. The crisis
Southern / western region; and devastated the country: nearly a million lives were lost, and the
eastern region. economy suffered greatly. Since then, the growth of coffee has
played a major role in rebuilding the country’s society and economy.
Many of the farmers in Rwanda are women, who are now providing
for their families through coffee.
The natural beauty of Rwanda is stunning. There are many lakes in

the tropical highland environment, contrasted with the earth’s deep
red soil. A coffee farm in Rwanda is a very simple endeavor: for many
coffee producers, their farm is simply a large collection of trees in
their backyard. The overwhelming majority of farmers in Rwanda are
smallholders, and many are organized into co-ops.
Some of the flavors we prize in the coffee from Rwanda are citrusy
fruit with a touch of soft spice and cocoa.
Quick Facts
• German missionaries first brought •R
wanda’s average yearly coffee
coffee to Rwanda in 1904; exports production is around 258 million
from Rwanda began in 1917. bags (34.1 million pounds / 15.5
million kilograms).
1 bag = 130 pounds
Why Rwanda is so important to Starbucks.

In Rwanda the coffee is incredible but represents only a small part of
its story. We are deeply committed to working in Rwanda to support
the coffee industry and the livelihoods of its farmers; we have a
Farmer Support Center in Kigali, focused on supporting farmers to
implement sustainable practices and improve their coffee’s quality
and consistency.

Asia / Pacific
The Asia / Pacific coffee region includes the Indonesian archipelago, East Timor, South Asia
and Papua New Guinea. This large area spans a wide variety of climates and topographies,
and some of the world’s most distinctive coffees are found here. With the exception of washed
coffees from Papua New Guinea and East Timor, most coffees we buy from the region are
processed using the semi-washed method, known for full body and spicy flavors. Semi-
washed coffees have balanced acidity and herbal notes.
While some of the largest coffee producers in the world are in the Asia / Pacific region,
Starbucks does not necessarily buy coffee from all of them for various reasons. For instance,
Vietnam is widely known for its significant robusta production. We don’t buy any robusta
coffee, but we have partnered with suppliers in Vietnam to support the production of specialty
coffee in the Central Highlands region, surrounding the city of Da Lat. Vietnam is embracing
the possibility and opportunity that comes with producing high-quality arabica coffee.
Asia / Pacific’s Coffee Countries

India, Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea, Timor and Vietnam.
Quick Fact
• Starbucks purchases coffee from
approximately six countries in
Asia / Pacific. On the next pages,
we have highlighted Indonesia.

Indonesia 
To understand the challenge of describing Indonesia, consider its
topography. The country comprises thousands of islands. It is a
nation of varied communities that speak 365 different languages.
Ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples as well as Muslim mosques dot
the landscape. As do volcanoes—more than 300 in total—many of
which are still active today. The mystery and fantasy of Indonesia
are perhaps best represented by one of its oldest inhabitants, the
Indonesia’s Coffee Islands
Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard. Thick bamboo groves
The islands of Sumatra, Java, abound, as well as rice paddies, homes on stilts, dense jungle and
Bali, Flores, Sulawesi (formerly tigers. The scent of cloves and numerous spices fills the air. The
Celebes), Papua New Guinea beautifully sloped topography, warm and steamy climate, and cool
and Timor. mountain evenings are as enchanting as the people. The culture
and natural beauty of this complex island paradise have captivated
multitudes of explorers and tourists throughout history.
As you can see, Indonesia is a very diverse and special country.

There are in fact several well-known areas of Indonesia that we buy
coffee from that you may recognize as featured origins in some of
our coffees: Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Bali.
Quick Facts
• Indonesia’s 17,508 islands • In the late 19th century, a disease
span about 2,500 miles (4,023 ruined the arabica coffee crop.
kilometers) along the equator, Most of the coffee was replaced
across three different time zones. with the hardier canephora
species (robusta). Despite the fact
• In the 17th and 18th centuries,
that robusta comprises almost
the Dutch established coffee
90 percent of Indonesia’s coffee
plantations in Indonesia for mass
exports, Indonesia is famous for
production of coffee.
its arabica coffee.
• Indonesia’s average yearly coffee
• From the islands of Indonesia
comes one of the world’s most
bags (1,240.8 million pounds / 564
expensive coffees: Kopi Luwak.
million kilograms).
The coffee cherries pass through
1 bag = 130 pounds
the digestive track of a civet,
• Coffee trees are harvested a small arboreal mammal the
October to February north of the locals call luwak. The beans are
equator and April to September collected from the forest floor,
south of the equator. cleaned and roasted. We do not
buy or support the market for
Kopi Luwak. The coffee does not
meet any of our own standards
because of the common practices
of forgery and inhumane
treatment of the civet.

Why Indonesia is so important to Starbucks.
“After two days of searching,
we discovered a 100-year-old No other coffee-growing region offers the intense flavors and heavy
coffee tree that was growing body found in Indonesian coffees.
wild in the jungle. We were
told of the tree by an 87-year- Our customers have all tasted Starbucks Indonesian coffees, some
®
old tribal chief named Simon possibly without realizing it. These coffees provide the earthy flavor
Tanta. His grandson led us to and body component that anchor many of our blends, and are
it, about two kilometers from compelling enough in themselves to be sold as single-origin
his village. The tree was 40–50 offerings. (Sumatra, for example, is the source of our most popular
feet high, had the girth of an oak single-origin coffee.) The full-bodied, smooth flavor—especially
tree and was covered in wild when one considers the role that aged Indonesian coffees play
orchids. We took coffee cherries in Starbucks Christmas and Anniversary blends—is enormously
®
from the tree and started a important to the taste of our coffees.
nursery in Sulawesi to bring
back original varietals from Of course, our commitment to the Asia / Pacific region goes beyond
the island.” its phenomenal coffee: we care deeply about the farmers and people
of this incredible part of the world. In 2016 we opened a Farmer
– Starbucks Coffee Buyer Support Center in Berastagi, Sumatra, Indonesia: this FSC supports
best practices in agronomy and coffee processing throughout the
Asia / Pacific region. We also support the development of schools and
wells in Sumatra to improve farmers’ quality of life.

Key Takeaways
• The primary factors that affect quality and
taste are elevation, terroir, species, varietals,
harvest, processing and sorting.
• Starbucks buys only arabica coffee.
• A coffee tree takes about three years to

reach full production and in most regions
coffee is harvested annually.
• There are many varieties of arabica coffee

and each varietal has a unique flavor.
• The six parts of a coffee cherry are outer

skin, pulp, mucilage, parchment, silver skin
and the green bean.
• There are three main processing methods for

removing the cherry from the bean and each
one impacts flavor in the cup.
• Quality is ensured at each step of harvesting,

processing and sorting.
• Farms are most commonly measured in

hectares (one hectare is approximately
2.5 acres) and most of our coffee comes
from smallholder farms of up to 12 hectares. Stop
We source coffee from three types of farms:
smallholders, cooperatives and estates. chapter, complete four of the
• Coffee gets much of its flavor from the
specific growing conditions and processing
methods of each growing region.

The
Starbucks
Difference

ETHIC AL
SOURCING &
SUSTAINABILITY

The care that we put into ethical
sourcing and sustainability is
what makes Starbucks coffee
®
so special. At the core, we

focus on making sure that what
we do is good for farmers, the
environment, Starbucks and our
customers.
Learning Objectives

• Define ethical sourcing and

understand our approach.
• Understand C.A.F.E. Practices

criteria and how the program
is administered.
• Describe the ways that

Starbucks provides
farmer support.
• Share one to two stories of

how Starbucks invests in coffee
communities.
• Describe the similarities and

differences between C.A.F.E.
Practices and Fairtrade.

Our Commitment
Starbucks is committed to ethically sourcing 100% of our coffee. That means not only
the way it’s grown but also the way it’s purchased. We remain committed to conducting
business in ways that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
Why?
We aim to have mutually beneficial partnerships with coffee producers and all people involved in the
production of coffee. We are looking for three main things:
1. 2. 3.
Is it good for Is it good for Is it good for
the farmers? the planet? Starbucks and
We want their businesses to be We want the environmental
coffee consumers?
viable and socially responsible. impact of producing coffee In order to support our
to be minimal. growing business now and in
the future, we need to help
ensure the future supply of
high-quality coffee.
Now that we know what we want, how do we get there?

We measure and ensure we continue to set the bar high and meet our own goals in the following ways:
• C.A.F.E. Practices—a sustainability verification program administered by a third party
• Collaborating with Farmers—sharing expertise and best practices through Farmer Support Centers
• Investing in Communities—farmer loans and social projects like schools and wells
• Partnerships—we can’t do it alone; our relationships are important
Let’s dive deeper in each of these areas to find out more.

ETHICAL SOURCING & SUSTAINABILITY ∙ 67

C.A.F.E. Practices
Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices is our set of buying guidelines that promotes
the production of socially and environmentally responsible coffee. Our approach includes
equitable prices for high-quality coffee, environmental responsibility and hands-on support
for farming communities.
Sourcing coffee is complex, which is why we have formed many alliances in the industry to
help us achieve our goals—and to help others accomplish theirs as well. Our own mission and
values help define our approach. At the end of this section, we talk about these relationships.
A JOU RNEY TO 1 0 0 % ET HIC AL S O URC ING
1998
• Began working with Conservation

International (CI) in Chiapas.
2004
• Early stages of C.A.F.E. Practices.
• Official launch of C.A.F.E. Practices.

• Costa Rica Farmer Support Center opens. 2008
• 100% ethically sourced goal.

2009
• $20 million farmer loans goal.
• Rwanda Farmer Support Center opens.

• Piloted forest conservation incentive 2012
programs wtih CI.
• Doubled our purchaes of Fairtrade
certified coffee.
• Colombia Farmer Support Center opens.
• $14 million in farmer loans.
• Yunnan, China, Farmer Support Center opens.
• $15.9 million in farmer loans.
• Began a three-year education project with
2013 Save the Children in Guatemala.
• Global Agronomy Center in 2016

Costa Rica opens.

There are four criteria that make up the program.
Starbucks has designated prerequisites for quality and economic transparency. Social and environmental
criteria are verified by a third party once prerequisites of quality and economic transparency are met.
Quality: In order for us to purchase coffee, it must meet Starbucks standard

of high-quality arabica coffee. We’ll work with farmers to apply
Taste in Cup C.A.F.E. Practices.
However, even if a farm’s coffee does not meet Starbucks quality

standards and taste in the cup, a farmer can still participate in the
C.A.F.E. Practices program in order to improve the quality, yield
and sustainability of their crop over time. This approach enables
the quality of life to improve for farmers, as they can offer more and
better coffee at better prices than they received previously.
Economic Our suppliers are required to submit evidence of payments made for
green coffee throughout the coffee supply chain, including receipts
Transparency: indicating how much was paid directly to farmers for their coffee.
Price Paid to
the Farmer
We will not purchase coffee unless it meets our quality standards and we can validate the price paid
to the farmer.
Social Responsibility: Farmers and millers must have measures in place that promote safe,
fair and humane working conditions. These include protecting the
Protecting Workers’ rights of workers and providing habitable living conditions.
Rights; Supporting the
Compliance with minimum-wage requirements and addressing child
Local Community labor, forced labor and discrimination issues are mandatory. We have
zero tolerance for child- or forced-labor in coffee production.
All workers are also employed, promoted and compensated equally,

based upon their job performance and not on the basis of gender,
ethnicity, or religious or cultural beliefs.
Environmental In growing and processing coffee, environmental measures must be in

place for managing waste, protecting water quality, conserving water
Leadership: and energy, preserving biodiversity and reducing agrochemical use.
Protecting and
For example, wastewater from pulping and washing is managed to
Conserving Water and ensure it doesn’t pollute the environment, including bodies of water.
Energy; Preserving
Biodiversity

Third-Party Verified (it’s important to us to not do this alone).
With quality and economic transparency prerequisites in place, the third-party verifiers conduct
inspections of farms and mills using predetermined indicators. We work with Scientific Certification
Systems (SCS) to train verifiers and maintain an efficient and credible verification process.
How is C.A.F.E. Practices measured?

Scorecards are used to track progress. There are nearly 150 individual indicators that are evaluated within
a scorecard, across 30 different criteria including zero-tolerance indicators requiring immediate action if
found not in compliance.
Here is an example of a few of the indicators for social responsibility and environmental leadership:
CRITERIA INDICATORS
SR-WC2.1 ZERO TOLERANCE: Children of legal school age who live on-site or
accompany family members who are working on-site attend school.
SR-WC2.2 If reasonable access to public education does not exist, primary school–
aged children of workers who live on-site have access to primary education,
facilities and materials equal to national or regional requirements.
SR-WC2: SR-WC2.3 If reasonable access to public education does not exist, secondary
Access to school–aged children of workers who live on-site have access to secondary
Education education, facilities and materials equal to national or regional requirements.
SR-WC2.4 EXTRA POINT: Employer supports local schools with either in-kind
donations or financial support.
SR-WC2.5 EXTRA POINT: Employer supports training or workshops for

permanent / full-time workers on additional skills or trades (i.e., financial
literacy, second language).
CRITERIA INDICATORS
CG-CB3.1 ZERO TOLERANCE: No conversion of natural forest to agricultural

production since 2004.
CG-CB3.2 Farm has made an assessment of areas of high conservation value (areas
with significant intact forest, primary forest-canopy cover, rare flora and
CG-CB3: fauna communities, important habitat elements, critical watershed values,
Conservation importance to local communities’ traditional cultural identity).
Areas
CG-CB3.3 EXTRA POINT: Farm has had an assessment completed by ecologists
and / or biologists for areas of high conservation value.
CG-CB3.4 Areas of high conservation value are clearly defined, protected and
managed to maintain their high conservation values.

Based on the assessment, farmers are assigned one of
these three statuses:
Strategic Supplier Preferred Supplier Verified Supplier

Achieve minimum 80 percent Achieve minimum 60 percent Achieve below 60 percent
of the total score and comply of the total score and comply of the total score and comply
with the zero-tolerance with the zero-tolerance with the zero-tolerance
indicators. These suppliers indicators. Awarded for three indicators. Awarded for two
are eligible for $0.05 USD years if audited during harvest years if audited during
premium per pound on all period and no organizational harvest period.
green coffee shipped during changes occur.
the first year of achieving the
strategic status, and for one
more year if they demonstrate
improvement in their practices.
Awarded for four years if
audited during harvest period
and no organizational changes
occur.
The third-party verification done by SCS reinforces one of the major differentiators of C.A.F.E. Practices: it
is a program to drive continuous improvement, incentivizing farmers to continue improving on quality and
increasing yield.
SCS also works with suppliers to correct any noncompliance or zero-tolerance indicators. Suppliers that fail
to comply or fail to work with Starbucks or the third party to correct noncompliant practices may have their
contracts or business relationship terminated.
C.A.F.E. Practices rewards farmers for their commitment; helping to ensure the coffee we’re buying is
ethically grown and purchased. We’re committed to buying 100 percent of our coffee this way, and share
the program and guidelines openly. We’re proud to say it’s now the most recognized ethical sourcing
system in the industry.

Collaborating with Farmers
When we first developed C.A.F.E. Practices, we believed it was necessary to support and
help the farmers in coffee-growing regions to successfully implement the guidelines.
The Work of an Agronomist

In order to work more collaboratively with farmers and suppliers to support growing practices around the
world, we have a team of agronomists who are experts in coffee agriculture and processing. In the world of
coffee, agronomists offer technical support to farmers and suppliers. Agronomists play a critical, on-the-
farm role in driving sustainability and quality. Here are the goals of an agronomist’s work:
• Improve quality and quantity of harvest by teaching C.A.F.E. Practices.
• Share research and education within the industry using an open-source approach.
• Operate Farmer Support Centers in key regions.
As a roaster, the fact that we have agronomists who support farmers in coffee-growing regions, regardless
if we buy coffee from them, makes Starbucks unique in the industry. Very few roasters have agronomists
that support farmers in this way.

Farmer Support Centers
Farmer Support Centers provide on-the-farm support to farmers around the world through a team of
agronomists and quality experts. They work with farmers to develop more responsible methods to grow
better coffee, improve the quality and size of the harvest, manage cost of production and help implement
C.A.F.E. Practices. We work with farmers to help find solutions to issues and provide support—free of
charge—to help assure farmers continue to improve coffee quality and sustainability.
Our first Starbucks Farmer Support Center (FSC) opened in San José, Costa Rica, in 2004. We now operate
Farmer Support Centers in the following countries:
The agronomists at our FSCs are experts

FARMER SUPPORT CENTER DATE OPENED
in soil management, field-crop production
Costa Rica 2004 and milling processes, and help teach better
farming and processing techniques. We are
Rwanda 2009 also connected with the communities where
the Farmer Support Centers are located to
Tanzania 2011
help ensure we are supporting these farming
Colombia 2012 communities on a social level as well.
China 2012
Ethiopia 2014
Sumatra 2016
Mexico 2016
How do Farmer Support Centers and agronomists connect with the

farmers and exporters?
FSCs often connect with exporters in addition to farmers: this is because exporters will also employ their
own agronomists and technical support for farmers. In working closely with the exporter’s agronomy
departments, we can magnify the reach of C.A.F.E. Practices by teaching other trainers as well as individual
farmers across a multitude of countries and regions.
Open-Source Agronomy
“Open
source” means sharing information. “Agronomy” refers to the science of soil management and crop
production. Starbucks believes in doing just that. For the last decade we have been taking an open-source
approach with our latest research from places like our Global Agronomy Center in Costa Rica, and sharing
our tools, best practices and resources with growers around the world—whether or not they sell to us.
Today’s farmers are facing constant challenges to the continued success of their farms and livelihoods, and
Starbucks is committed to helping them.

Hacienda Alsacia (ah-syen-dah ahl-sah-syah)
To work even more closely with coffee farmers and provide better support, in 2013
we purchased our own working coffee farm in Costa Rica: Hacienda Alsacia.
TA RI
O S located CA
Hacienda Alsacia is a 240-hectare Cfarm on the slopes of the
Poás volcano in beautiful Alajuela, Costa Rica. A portion of the farm’s
productive land is dedicated to commercial production. The rest of
the land is dedicated to research and development efforts to support
the future of coffee growing, with a tree nursery that provides free
seeds and plants of various coffee varietals to improve disease
resistance and yield for local Sfarmers.
TA R B U C K S C O F F E E F A R M
How is Hacienda Alsacia related to farmer support?

F A R M L O G O
Used for all for-here war e Used for everything that leaves the building
To help farmers and ensure the future of coffee, the mission of Hacienda Alsacia is clear: apply best
practices to make growing coffee more profitable; develop the next generation of disease-resistant,
quality coffee; and share it all with farmers around the world.
S T A R B U C K S | H A C I E N D A A L S A C I A C O F F E E F A R M & C A F E
Future-Proofing Coffee
The second challenge of Hacienda Alsacia is perhaps even more ambitious: to develop new varietals of
arabica coffee trees that are both resistant to diseases like coffee leaf rust—which has caused significant
setbacks in recent years—and deliver the quality that specialty coffee demands.
Ten hectares of the farm are dedicated exclusively to research and development. The focal point is the
nursery, where our team of skilled agronomists are creating these new varietals. These trees are highly
resistant to diseases like coffee rust and are also of remarkable quality. The goal is to develop several
hybrids that will be both delicious and hearty enough to thrive in the future.
Sharing with the Industry

When we say we are sharing what we learn at Hacienda Alsacia with the industry, we mean everything from
best farming practices to new varieties of arabica coffee. Even the new hybrid seeds being developed are
given to farmers, free of charge. This is referred to as open source.
As a business, we need to ensure the supply of quality coffee into the future. But it goes beyond that.
It’s a long-term commitment to the success of coffee communities around the world.


Investing in Farming Communities
We know there is more to do to ensure continued coffee production. We are committed to
ongoing investment in the communities supporting coffee production.
Farmer Loans
Since coffee is a seasonal crop, farmers often experience a shortage of cash before their harvest. This may
force them to sell their crops early to local buyers for prices lower than what they would otherwise earn.
Starbucks helps provide loans that give farmers the flexibility to sell their crops when they choose.
Access to Credit
The farmers we work with are in rural areas where credit is also often hard to access. Many times their
businesses are too large for microloans and too small for conventional loans. The loans provide money they
need—and would be challenging to get otherwise—to grow their business and improve the quality and
yield of their coffee farms. The success of their farms becomes the success of the communities and families
as well.
In 2015 Starbucks pledged to provide $50 million USD in financing to coffee farmers in collaboration with
lending organizations such as Root Capital and the Fairtrade Access Fund. Through its Global Farmer
Fund, Starbucks provides loans to coffee growers at reasonable interest rates and maturities, even growers
who do not supply to the company, in such countries as Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Rwanda
and Tanzania. As of June 2015, the company helped provide assistance to approximately 40,000 farmers.
Around 125 million people in the world depend on coffee for their livelihoods, including 25 million
smallholder farmers. According to the International Finance Corporation, many coffee farmers face
the challenges of low productivity, which is often the result of poor agricultural practices and a weak
understanding of quality standards. This prevents farmers from being able to optimize their crops to
decrease the marginal costs of production and improve yields, and prevents them from increasing their
incomes by demanding premium prices for their coffee. These problems are compounded by the
difficulties farmers face in accessing finances, which often prevents them from being able to invest
in improving their farming practices.
Additionally, better farming practices are often more environmentally sustainable, resulting in lower resource
use and the preservation of land for future generations. For instance, coffee production has a heavy water
footprint, but this can be reduced through improved practices in irrigation and wastewater treatment.


Here are a few examples of how we invest in farming communities:
Nicaragua: Addressing Coffee Rust

Starbucks joined efforts with development institutions (the World Bank and Inter-American Development
Bank) and a coffee exporter (ECOM), to create a $30 million USD facility in Nicaragua. The facility’s primary
purpose is to help farmers adapt to climate change by implementing a program to renovate coffee
plantations with rust-resistant varieties. Rust has significantly reduced the income of coffee farmers in
Nicaragua. This program will provide long-term financing to farmers, secure the use of the appropriate
coffee plants and offer the technical assistance needed to bring them to production.
Rwanda: Supporting the Musasa Cooperative

Starbucks teamed up with Root Capital to bring its support of coffee communities to Africa, beginning
with this project with the Musasa Cooperative in Rwanda. Based on Musasa’s contracts with specialty
coffee buyers (like Starbucks), Root Capital provides affordable loans to the cooperative, in order to
purchase green coffee from its members. Upon shipment and payment, a portion of the co-op’s proceeds
pays off the low-interest loan. Since 2005, Root Capital has provided Musasa with more than $1 million
USD in financing.
Tanzania: Investing in Quality

Along with Root Capital, Starbucks supported coffee communities in Tanzania, enabling them to acquire
22 community coffee-washing stations. These stations improve the quality of processed coffee and help
ensure growers can provide a reliable source of specialty coffee. The machines in the facilities also reduce
the water consumption and the environmental impact of the whole coffee-processing operation. Several
communities had extra money left over to invest in supplies for their schools.
Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador:

Under the One Tree for Every Bag
Renovation and Recovery from Coffee Leaf Rust program, Starbucks donated
$0.70 USD (the average cost of
In 2016 we donated 20 million coffee trees to farmers in Mexico,
a coffee tree) to Conservation
Guatemala and El Salvador through a program supported in our U.S.
International for every bag of
stores called One Tree for Every Bag. With each bag of roasted coffee
coffee sold from participating
sold in the stores, we donated a new rust-resistant coffee seedling.
Starbucks stores in the
®
Farmers received the trees free of charge to help renovate their farms
U.S. to foster thriving coffee
and reduce the use of rust-fighting agrochemicals.
communities.
To learn more, visit

conservation.org/onetree.

Social Projects
As part of the Starbucks Reserve coffee program, we are committed to giving back to the communities
®
that bring us these rare, small-lot coffees. With most Starbucks Reserve offerings, we contribute to or fund
®
a social project to improve the communities that the coffees come from.
East Timor: Medical Clinics

Cooperativa Café Timor (CCT), a coffee-farmer cooperative, provides weekly mobile clinic services in
four communities in the Ermera district of East Timor. Starbucks was proud to work with CCT last year to
help fund the construction of four medical clinics in these communities. The clinic buildings now offer an
improved space for CCT to keep providing mobile health services. Since the completion of the project in
August 2015, the four clinics are helping around 13,000 co-op members and their families access quality
medical care.
The clinics also improved hygiene and sanitation, along with emergency communications in the villages.
Each clinic building has a rainwater collection and storage system and toilets with septic tanks. The
communities have access to solar-powered charging stations for their mobile phones, making it easier to
contact CCT workers during medical emergencies.
Papua New Guinea Water Project

When we released Starbucks Reserve Papua New Guinea Ulya in spring 2015, we learned about a need
®
in another Papua New Guinea coffee community. The supplier proposed a project benefiting the Moanti
coffee network, a group of more than 400 smallholder farmers in the Henganofi district. The Moanti
network, named after the woman who manages the supply chain, lacked clean water. With the help of
the community and local suppliers, we were able to provide a sustainable water source for the Mounti
Network. They had to walk high into the mountains to source. A filtration system, water tanks and four
community taps were installed, helping hundreds of families. The project was officially completed in
January 2016.
Our commitment to this region hasn’t stopped. A second phase of the water project is now under way,
which will expand the water supply to more communities. The project intends to add 12 new water taps,
benefiting many more coffee-farming families in the area.

Partnerships
COMMITTED TO 100%
ETHICAL SOURCING
in partnership with
COMMITTED TO 100% POUR DES PRATIQUES

ETHICAL SOURCING Exporters D’ACHAT ÉTHIQUE À 100 %
in partnership with Exporters, also referreden collaboration avec are independent
to as suppliers,
organizations that buy coffee from smallholder farms, cooperatives
and estates, and then help arrange transporting coffee to the
buyer. They often help to mitigate risk for both the farmer and
starbucks.com/responsibility
the buyer and can bestarbucks.com/responsibility
either a locally based organization or a
part of a larger holding company. In some cases, exporters own
coffee-milling facilities.
We have very important relationships with exporters or suppliers as

they help support and educate C.A.F.E. Practices with farmers who
sell through them. Exporters also partner with us to implement social
projects to benefit coffee-growing communities.
COMMITTED TO 100%
ETHICAL SOURCING
COMMITTED TO 100% Conservation International
in partnership with
ETHICAL SOURCING POUR DES PRATIQUES

In 1998 we began searching for a way to verify our coffee as “ethically
in partnership with D’ACHAT ÉTHIQUE À 100 %
sourced.” Not one certification program met all our needs, so we
en collaboration avec
partnered with Conservation International (CI) to create our own
ethical program for sourcing coffee. The mission of CI is “building
upon a strong foundation of field demonstration, CI empowers
starbucks.com/responsibility societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global
biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.”
starbucks.com/responsibility
CI was a natural fit to partner with Starbucks. Together we

created C.A.F.E. Practices, our ethical sourcing program that
includes standards related to quality, economic, social and
environmental performance. The C.A.F.E. Practices program
promotes environmentally responsible growing methods, ensures
minimum wages and fair working conditions and requires economic
transparency. CI oversees the third-party verification of C.A.F.E.
Practices and endorses our commitment to 100% ethical sourcing of
coffee, which you will see printed on some of our coffee packaging.

Organic
Coffee is referred to as “organic” when no pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides or chemical fertilizers are used during growing, processing
and handling. Organic farming aims to develop ecosystems capable
of naturally managing pests, disease and competing vegetation
while reducing or eliminating chemical use. We believe this ultimately
benefits the environment. Although much of the coffee Starbucks
buys is grown organically, most of it is not certified organic.
In fact, only a small percentage of coffee worldwide is officially

certified organic. Coffees are certified organic by a third party—
separate from the coffee producer and coffee buyer. The process for
a farm to become certified organic can take up to three years. It can
be a large financial and time-consuming investment.
For our customers who request a certified organic coffee, we do

offer Organic Yukon Blend . However, “organic” can also represent
®
more than just environmental standards to customers. Often organic

can represent a standard of quality and significant economic benefit
to agricultural producers. By asking what is important to customers,
you may be able to share with them our ethical sourcing practices of
our coffees.
Fairtrade
Fairtrade is a certification system. To be certified as Fairtrade, the
coffee must be produced only by farmers who belong to farmer-
owned, democratically run coffee cooperatives and associations listed
on the Fairtrade registry. Fairtrade cooperatives and associations
are paid a minimum or better price for their coffee. They also
receive a social premium in addition to the minimum price, which
is then reinvested in the coffee-growing community via health and
community projects.
Starbucks is one of the largest buyers of Fairtrade certified coffee in

the world. However, because of our size, we must buy from coffee
farms of all sizes, while Fairtrade focuses exclusively on small farms
that are organized into cooperatives. This is one of the reasons we
developed our own rigorous ethical-buying guidelines, C.A.F.E.
Practices. We share similar goals and have been purchasing and
selling Fairtrade certified coffee for nearly 15 years.

What are the similarities and differences
between C.A.F.E. Practices and Fairtrade?
We share common goals with the Fairtrade movement to improve the
livelihoods of coffee farmers, their families and communities.
Remember we created C.A.F.E. Practices because we couldn’t find

one single certification system that met our needs—we wanted
something more holistic than Fairtrade or an Organic Certification.
C.A.F.E. Practices is not a certification system; it is a program of
continuous improvement, open to our entire supply chain, which is
made up of farms of all sizes. We receive input from suppliers to help
inform and shape the program and expect those in our supply chain
to be continuously looking for ways to improve quality, economic
transparency, social responsibility and environmental leadership.
Starbucks has built relationships (some for more than 40 years!) with
farms of all sizes. Fairtrade focuses exclusively on small farms that are
organized into cooperatives.
C.A.F.E. Practices has a quality prerequisite and Fairtrade does

not, but all the Fairtrade certified coffees we purchase do meet our
quality requirements.

Key Takeaways
• C.A.F.E. Practices, our ethical sourcing
program, verifies that the coffee we buy is
good for farmers, good for the environment
and good for Starbucks and our customers.
• Through C.A.F.E. Practices, farmers benefit

from increased yield and quality.
• C.A.F.E. Practices helps protect rights of

farmworkers and ensures safe, fair and
humane working and living conditions.
• C.A.F.E. Practices is verified by a third

party, Scientific Certification Systems.
• Starbucks supports farmers through a

network of agronomists working in our
Farmer Support Centers and through
research on our farm in Costa Rica,
Hacienda Alsacia.
• We are one of the largest purchasers of

Fairtrade coffee and share common goals
with the Fairtrade movement. C.A.F.E.
Practices meets our needs for a holistic
verification program inclusive of our
entire supply chain.
Stop
• You can proudly tell stories sharing the
ways Starbucks is investing in coffee- Before continuing to the next
growing communities. activities for this section.

OUR COFFEE
E XPER TISE

After we’ve sourced the coffee,
there’s much more to the story.
Our coffee team is responsible
for sampling, aging, roasting
and blending the beans and
transforming them into the
finished product, ready to brew.
Learning Objectives

• Understand who is responsible

for green coffee quality; and
how quality is ensured along
the journey from farm to cup.
• Know the methods of

decaffeinating coffee.
• Discuss how coffee is aged

and why.
• Describe how roasting

impacts flavor.
• Identify where our core coffees

fall on the roast spectrum and
in relation to each other.
• Share how and why we

create blends.
• Understand how packaging

impacts freshness and quality.

Coffee Quality Teams
Starbucks has three teams in place to ensure that we always source, roast and serve some
of the world’s finest coffee. Each team has a unique set of responsibilities at various points
during a coffee’s journey to your store.
Switzerland
Seattle
Yunnan
Mexico
Costa Rica Ethiopia
Rwanda
Colombia Tanzania Sumatra
Farmer Support Starbucks Coffee Global Coffee Quality

Centers (FSC)  Trading Company (SCTC)  (GCQ) 
Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia,
Lausanne, Switzerland Seattle, Washington
Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia,
Sumatra, Yunnan
FSCs are located in coffee- Starbucks Coffee Trading The Global Coffee Quality team
growing regions and provide Company is responsible for manages recipes and product
on-the-ground support to farmers global coffee purchasing and development, defines quality
and suppliers. Each FSC team works with suppliers to manage standards and determines global
includes agronomists, quality all of Starbucks green coffee business needs. GCQ ensures
experts and C.A.F.E. Practices purchases. SCTC manages all that coffee quality is maintained
administrators. farmer business relationships and once it arrives at the roasting
negotiates contracts that promote plant and all the way to the
continuous improvement and customers; forecasts future green
reduce risk; manages quality and coffee needs; manages the aging
preshipment samples; coordinates and decaffeination processes;
the transportation of green coffee creates and maintains the recipes
from coffee-growing countries for our blends; and communicates
to Starbucks roasting plants; and green coffee needs to the SCTC.
takes action when a quality
defect arises.

Steps in Ensuring Quality
TASTE
Offer sample of three cups of coffee
tasted by SCTC quality experts.
PURCHASE
Contract negotiated by traders,
which includes amount and price.
TASTE
Preshipment sample of six cups of
coffee tasted by SCTC.
SHIP
Green coffee makes its way to one
of our roasting plants, decaf facility,
green coffee warehouse or
aging warehouse.
Each
coffee is
TASTE tasted
Arrival sample of six cups is tasted
by the Global Coffee Quality Team in
15 times.
Seattle once coffee arrives into the U.S.
This is the last step of quality control
before roasting.
GLOBAL COFFEE TEAM ∙ 87

A few key facts to call out:
• Between our SCTC and GCQ tasting rooms, each of our tasters will cup more than 250,000 cups of
coffee each year.
• Each coffee we purchase has been tasted in 15 cups. If any of those cups are in question due to defects
or cup quality, the coffee will get cupped up to an additional 36 times to ensure quality in the purchase.
Starbucks Coffee Trading Company

Starbucks Coffee Trading Company (SCTC) is located in Lausanne, Switzerland, the site of the first
coffeehouse in continental Europe. SCTC is responsible for the global purchasing of green coffee beans
for Starbucks based on forecast numbers provided by the Global Coffee Quality team. SCTC uses the
following three guidelines:
1. Purchasing transparently.
By purchasing coffee at prices based on quality and sustainable performance, Starbucks offers sellers
reliability and price stability.
2. Direct cooperation with coffee farmers.

This enables us to have closer relationships based on trust and respect, allowing us to grow our businesses
together. Purchasing with transparency from farms or through local third-party facilitators may increase
farmers’ profit margins.
3. Advantages of long-term contracts.

Economic climates stress the importance of farmers knowing they have reliable buyers for future harvests.
By signing long-term contracts, Starbucks helps ensure a steady supply of coffee at prices that are stable
for both the producer and the buyer.
In addition to buying coffee, Starbucks travels to origin countries to continue to learn about coffee 
and strengthen relationships with coffee growers and suppliers. These relationships are essential to
continued success. They solidify our role as a champion of quality and progress during every step of
the coffee business.


Sampling Coffee
Every morning in Seattle, Lausanne and our Farmer Support Centers, the coffee quality
teams begin their day in the cupping room. There are fewer than 15 people in four offices
around the globe who are qualified to make decisions about the quality and flavor profiles
of our coffee. Those who cup coffee must all use the same descriptors and tasting language
and share coffee notes with each other via conversations and emails. In other words, their
palates must be calibrated. Depending on the time of year in relation to harvest season,
the teams can cup anywhere from 100–600 cups of coffee a day, equating to more than
250,000 cups a year.
Beans are tasted all along their journey. First, green beans are assessed visually for overall
quality, then roasted in a small sample roaster, ground and infused in boiling water. The
tester smells the brew to experience its aroma. After letting the coffee sit (or settle) a few
minutes, the tester “breaks the crust” by pushing aside grounds at the top of the cup and
smelling the aroma again before the tasting begins.
An expert taster can taste hundreds of samples of coffee a day and still taste the subtle
differences between them. To taste the coffee, the tester “slurps” a spoonful with a quick
inhalation, spraying the coffee evenly over his or her taste buds, and then evaluates it
before spitting it out. Like a ritual, coffees are analyzed for their inherent characteristics
and flaws, for blending different beans and for determining the proper roast.
Offer Samples
Starbucks roasts and evaluates 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of every
coffee sample sent to SCTC. We taste three samples of each offer
and provide feedback to the supplier about the quality.
We use a specific cupping-grade glossary as a reference tool for

consistency. The glossary provides acceptable green bean moisture,
density requirements and appearance—color, size and shape—as
well as expectations from different countries. Suppliers may contact
the quality team at SCTC to discuss sample results. If an offer sample
is accepted and SCTC agrees to purchase, a contract is written.
Fewer than half the offer samples that are sent to SCTC are accepted.

Preshipment Sample
Before coffee is transported or shipped, SCTC conducts a sampling
where they taste six cups of each preshipment. A defect in one cup
results in a rejection. Preshipment samples are cataloged at SCTC to
be compared against roasting plant arrival samples: all arrivals should
be the same quality as preshipment samples. If the preshipment
sample meets our expectations, SCTC arranges transport of the
coffee to one of the roasting plants. As testament to the work of
our coffee quality teams, approximately 90 percent of preshipment
samples that are sent to SCTC are accepted.
Arrival Sample
Once the green coffee makes its way to our roasting plants in the
U.S., a 10 percent representative sample from each lot purchased
is taken and sent to the Global Coffee Quality team in Seattle to
taste. From that sample, they roast and brew six cups to taste to
ensure quality and help coordinate how a particular coffee should be
used. This is the final step in the green coffee quality process before
blending and roasting.
Cup tasting or “cupping” is the

process used to evaluate coffee
objectively and to create a flavor
profile. The basic attributes
evaluated are aroma, acidity,
body and flavor.
OUR COFFEE EXPERTISE ∙ 91

Decaffeinating Coffee
For those who prefer their coffee without caffeine, we offer decaffeinated coffee. If coffee
is decaffeinated, it’s always done before it’s roasted. We send green coffee beans from
origin to one of our third-party decaffeinating facilities.
Coffee is made up of thousands of different compounds of which one is caffeine. The

challenge is to remove the caffeine from the bean but not affect, or minimally affect,
the other compounds that contribute to flavor. Since caffeine is water soluble, each of
the different methods to decaffeinate coffee uses water to draw it out. Water also draws
out many of the other compounds, including sugars and proteins that make up the flavor.
The difference in each method is the additional solvent used to speed up the process and
to help “select” which compound to remove.
Direct Contact Method

The most common decaffeinating method, direct contact, uses
a solvent called methylene chloride. Methylene chloride is highly
selective in removing caffeine, so a greater amount of the coffee’s
inherent flavor and quality is maintained during the process.
Green coffee is steamed to open pores. Beans are rinsed in solvent,

and then caffeine-laden solvent is rinsed away. Beans are steamed
again to remove any remaining traces of the solvent.
During roasting, the coffee’s temperature reaches more than 400°F

(205°C). By the end of roasting, there’s no detectable methylene
chloride left in the beans.
Many of our coffees are

decaffeinated using this
method, like our Decaf DEC AF
House Blend, Decaf Pike
Place Roast and Decaf
®
GREEN CONTAC T EXT RAC T IO N
Espresso Roast. BEANS
S EPARAT IO N C AFFE INE

SWISS WATER Process Method ®
The SWISS WATER Process method removes caffeine from green

®
beans by soaking them in warm water to create “flavor-charged

water,” and then running that water through an activated charcoal
filter that captures the caffeine molecules. No solvents are applied
directly to the coffee bean, but the carbon filter essentially filters out
the caffeine. Then the coffee beans are soaked in the “flavor charged
water” to reintroduce the flavors to the coffee.
Our Decaf Komodo

Dragon Blend , which
®
is available in select D E CAF
markets, is decaffeinated
with this method. GR EE N P RE - WE T T I N G E X T RACT I ON
B EA N S
S E PARAT I ON CAF F E I N E
Natural Decaffeination Process

This process starts with water-soaked green coffee sealed in a
stainless-steel tank. Liquid CO2 is forced into the coffee in the tank at
a very high pressure that acts as the solvent to dissolve and draw out
caffeine, leaving larger flavor molecules behind.
Our Decaf Sumatra coffee

uses this decaffeination
method.
After decaffeination, the coffees are shipped to their roasting plant destinations. Upon arrival, a sample of
the coffee is sent to the Global Coffee Quality team in Seattle for roasting and cupping.

Aged Coffee
The history of aged coffee dates back to Dutch trading when coffee was shipped from
Indonesia to the Americas in the hulls of ships. The journey often took a year or more,
which altered the flavor and color of the coffee. It was an unintentional aging that turned
the Indonesia beans from green to light brown and caused the flavor to reduce in acidity
and increase in body.
The term “aged coffee” refers to green coffee that has been stored in a warehouse for three
to five years in order to further develop its flavor. Aging high-quality Indonesian beans
results in a range of flavors like spice, peat moss and toasted marshmallow. Some coffees
we buy from Indonesia are shipped to our designated coffee aging warehouse in Singapore
instead of a roasting plant. Singapore has similar tropical and subtropical climate
conditions as the origin countries where this coffee is grown, and its consistent high
humidity provides a stable environment for effective aging.

Many of these aged coffees
are incorporated into some of
our most popular blends like
Christmas Blend and Anniversary
Blend. Other aged coffees are
so unique they’re separated and
offered as small-lot Starbucks
Reserve coffees, like our
®
Aged Sumatra Lot No. 015.
Ensuring Quality in Aging

A lot of care and expertise goes into aging coffee. The bags of coffee are rotated, flipped, brushed and
vacuumed by hand throughout the year.
This care ensures the coffee ages consistently throughout the bags and allows for checks on quality-
inhibiting factors such as mold and insects.
The Global Coffee Quality team in Seattle conducts annual tastings to monitor the flavor development of
these aging coffees, looking for distinctive flavors like spice, peat moss and toasted marshmallow, which
indicate the coffee is ready for roasting.
Once it’s ready, it’s transported to a roasting plant for roasting, blending and packaging.
Maintaining Quality
The GCQ team both defines the quality standards and verifies quality once the final shipment sample
arrives. When coffee arrives at one of our roasting plants, it’s put in a holding area and an arrival sample
from each lot is sent to the GCQ team to evaluate quality before it’s released for roasting.
If the coffee meets our quality expectations in the cupping room in Seattle, the GCQ team approves the
coffee and it’s released for production. The approved coffee is then scheduled for roasting and blending
at one of our roasting plants.

Roasting: Art & Science
Once green coffee arrives at a Starbucks roasting plant, its inherent flavor characteristics
cannot be improved—but they can easily be ruined. Each coffee will require a slightly
different amount of time and temperature during the roasting process to create a cup of
coffee that is at its peak of aroma, acidity, body and flavor. It is a fine art learned only after
years of experience.
We roast green coffee beans to draw out their aroma, acidity, body and flavor. The intense heat of the
roasting process triggers a complex chemical reaction within the bean. Sugars and starches in green coffee
beans are transformed into the precious oils that give our coffee much of its rich flavor and aroma. The
longer a coffee bean is roasted, the more these oils develop. At the same time, moisture is drawn out of
the beans.
A visit to one of our roasting plants shows how, in a matter of minutes, roasting pulls the moisture from our
high-quality, high-altitude beans. As each bean loses its moisture, it “pops.” A chemical reaction called
pyrolysis takes place—starches convert into sugar, proteins disintegrate and the entire cellular structure
of the bean is altered. The heating process hastens the release of the sought-after caffeol (or coffee oil).
So delicate and volatile is its flavor that too much moisture, light, heat and oxygen can destroy it.
The second pop, toward the end of the roast, is the most critical stage of roasting. The master roaster
guides the roast in a balancing act of heat, time, temperature and moisture. Each coffee is roasted to a
unique color to highlight its flavor characteristics.
And that is why roasting coffee is a kind of culinary alchemy—part art, part science. Too much heat and
the beans are roasted too dark and too much of the caffeol is burnt. Not enough heat and the caffeol is
not released.


It takes the meticulous roasting experience of a host of passionate coffee experts to
transform hard green beans into flavorful and aromatic coffee beans. The Starbucks ®
Roast is unique for each coffee. As noted in the Coffee Passport, the lighter-roasted coffees
tend to feature higher acidity, while darker-roasted coffees feature a fuller body and flavor.
With a coffee like French Roast, you taste the roast more than the flavors of the growing
region. Each coffee requires a unique roast profile to create a cup that is at its peak of
aroma, acidity, body and flavor. Over the past 45 years, we have mastered the art and
science of roasting to bring out the inherent potential of each distinctive coffee—and
that is what is commonly referred to as the roast spectrum.
L I G H T ER BO D Y &
MI L D ER F L AV O R
Kenya
Breakfast
Starbucks Blend Pike
Willow Blend ®
Place ®
Roast
Green
Coffee Guatemala
Antigua
Veranda
Blend
®

Fairtrade
Italian
Roast
Caffè
Verona ®
French
Espresso Roast
Roast
Sumatra
Komodo
Dragon
Blend
®
House
Blend Organic The Starbucks
Yukon Blend Roast is not a
®
®
time, temperature
or color—it’s
a philosophy.
From a taste
standpoint,
the Starbucks ®
FULLE R B ODY Roast is perhaps

& F L AVOR
our greatest
differentiator as
a company.

Steps in the Roasting Process
Our skilled roasters regulate and monitor quality throughout the entire roasting process,
which starts with a final cleaning before the green beans hit the roaster.
Green Coffee Batching Roasting

Loading Any green coffees that have From the silos, green coffee
been selected for pre-roast finally makes its way to the
Green coffee is run through a
blending are batched out of the actual coffee roaster—a large
large machine that shakes the
silos, then sent to the roaster heated rotating drum much like
beans through various mesh
for roasting. a clothes dryer. Depending on
screens and magnets in order
the roasting plant, the roasters
to remove all non-coffee items
can roast 400–650 pounds
(small pebbles or twigs) that
(180–295 kilograms) of coffee
were missed during the sorting.
at a time. When the beans
After cleaning the beans, we reach their pinnacle of flavor
transport them by coffee type development, they’re released
to green coffee silos, where into the cooling tray.
they await roasting. At all times,
green coffee moves through
the roasting plant via a complex Quality has a price.
system of computers and
vacuum tubes and conveyors, The Starbucks Roast is not
®
controlled through a central cheap. All the moisture lost

location within the roasting during roasting means a
plant. No coffee moves without lot of weight loss—about
proper verification. 18 percent for most of our
coffees and nearly 25 percent
for French Roast. This means
that approximately for every
220 pounds (100 kilograms)
we put in the roaster, an
average of about 165–180
pounds (75–80 kilograms)
comes out. By comparison,
most commercial coffee loses
approximately 10–14 percent
100 ∙ COFFEE MASTER of its weight during roasting.

Color Analyzing Storage Post-Roast Blending
A small sample of the roasted The roasted coffee is stored in and Packaging
coffee is ground and analyzed silos until it is packaged.
After roasting, coffees selected
by a machine that indicates if
for post-roast blending are
the coffee roast is within the
transported to large rotating
specific color range for the
drums, where they will be mixed
recipe. If it passes, the coffee
to specific recipe proportions
batch moves to the brown-
with other varieties. Finally coffee
coffee silos.
is packaged before shipping.

Who Are Our Master Roasters?
In each roasting plant around the world, the intricate roasting process is overseen by a
master roaster and a small team of roasters that work with him or her. These few ensure
that the roasting operation runs seamlessly, the quality of our green coffee is highlighted
in the roasting process and the equipment involved in roasting is running at its peak.
Together as a whole, this small, talented team of master roasters has more than 150 years
of combined roasting experience—they share their knowledge, expertise and artistry.

Where Do We Roast?
Coffee that is approved by the Global Coffee Quality team is stored in the roasting plants’
green coffee warehouse until scheduled for roasting. At the roasting plants, coffee is
blended, roasted and packaged.
As of 2016, there are seven Starbucks roasting plants around the world:
Kent, Washington, USA Augusta, Georgia, USA
York, Pennsylvania, USA Seattle, Washington, USA*
Carson Valley, Nevada, USA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sandy Run, North Carolina, USA 8 Shanghai, China* (est. opening 2017)
9 New York, NY, USA* (est. opening 2018)
*Starbucks Reserve Roastery

®
and Tasting Room

Blend Development
The Coffee Development team in Seattle works to ensure each blend is thoughtfully
created, refined and roasted to highlight the coffee’s distinct characteristics. This team
of about four partners has more than 75 years of combined experience in development of
coffee. As each seasonal blend is re-created each year, their refined palates and experience
help bring to life what our customers and partners remember about their seasonal
favorites. They also define the perfect roast spectrum to highlight any new Starbucks
Reserve coffee that we discover.
®
We start by thinking about what the end result in the cup should be. We ask ourselves, “What flavor do we
want to highlight? What should the experience be like?” Each blend is created and developed for specific
reasons and nuances by our experienced team.
Sometimes the trigger for a blend comes from a deep social need that we and our customers wish
passionately to support. Other times, the impetus is an occasion. We have created blends to complement
certain flavors of a holiday dinner or others to pair with decadent desserts and fine dining. We also
may create blends that shine in particular brewing methods. Once inspiration strikes, we use our deep
knowledge of origins, flavor profiles and the Starbucks Roast spectrum to help us achieve the final result.
®
Most of the time, the components of a blend can be combined first as green, or unroasted beans. This
is called a pre-roast blend. In some cases, though, the Coffee Development team will determine that in
order to get a certain taste in the cup, some beans need to be roasted differently to highlight their unique
flavors. This is how we get a post-roast blend, meaning the components of the blend are roasted first, on
different roast curves, and then blended together.
In the roasting plant, a complex system of pipes, diverters, mixers and silos help manage all pre-roast
and post-roast recipes. But the magic of the blends is in the recipes.
All blending starts with a vision of the end result and the flavor profile we are striving for. We combine
varietal, regional and processing method flavors to create greater complexity and completeness not
found in single-origin coffees. Typically a blend might complement Latin American acidity with Indonesian
smoothness, or spice up a delicate varietal with the boldness of a dark roast. Blending, at its best, is high
art, offering a unity in diversity that few unblended coffees can match.

Pre-Roast Blends
These recipes call for blending green coffee and roasting it all together in order to focus on a single flavor
and roast expression. Washed coffees roast very well together.
Some pre-roast blends are Breakfast Blend, House Blend, Espresso Roast and Komodo
Dragon Blend . ®
Post-Roast Blends
These blends could feature multiple roast expressions in the final coffee. We post-roast blends when
one single Starbucks Roast curve will not bring out the flavors of each component. For example, with
®
Starbucks Christmas Blend, we initially tried roasting all the washed and Asia / Pacific beans together
®
in pursuit of the desired flavor characteristics of the holiday. But we found that we had to sacrifice one
critical element of each in order to achieve another. When we tried to highlight the acidity and complexity
of the Latin American coffees, the body and depth of the Asia / Pacific coffees did not fully develop.
Conversely, when we brought out all the depth, spice and body of the Asia / Pacific coffees, we found that
the roast spectrum would eliminate the acidic character we were trying to achieve with the other coffees.
The answer? Roast them separately, and blend after for perfection.
Some post-roast blends are Caffè Verona , Gold Coast Blend and Christmas Blend.
® ®
It is important to note that the Starbucks Roast is one of the single most important aspects of how we
®
blend. Every time we look at developing a new blend or incorporating a new origin into a blend, we always
consider the roast curve.
Coffees that differ in size, density and processing will typically roast better individually than with
other coffees.
After the coffee is roasted, a small sample of the roasted coffee is ground and analyzed by a machine that
indicates if the coffee is roasted within the desired specific color range for that coffee.

Packaging
Roasted coffee can be packaged in many different ways depending on the format in which it will
be offered. The important thing to remember is, regardless of final format, the coffee is the same
high-quality beans, ethically sourced and meticulously roasted to meet our quality standards.
To help ensure freshness, depending on which market it is traveling to and how it will be used,
our roasted coffee is also packaged in four ways.
FlavorLock Bag ™
Each package of whole bean coffee is equipped with a FlavorLock valve. This valve is critical to the
™
freshness of the coffee, allowing us to send our product to places outside of regions where roasting plants
are located. Sealed FlavorLock packaging has a 34-week shelf life. Once opened and stored properly,
™
whole bean coffee will remain fresh for approximately one week.
Keurig K-Cup Pods

® ®
Roasted whole bean coffee is sent from Starbucks to Keurig Green Mountain (KGM) in supersacks
(1,000-pound / 450-kilogram sacks). KGM then grinds and packs the coffee into individual K-Cup pods,®
with specifications for each coffee set by Starbucks. Following production, the shelf life on our K-Cup ®
pods is 270 days.
Verismo Pods ®
Verismo pod production is very similar to the K-Cup production process, with one distinction: coffees are
® ®
ground and sealed to very precise specifications for both brewed coffees and espresso, with different pod
capsules for each.
Instant Soluble Coffee

For coffees that need to be dissolvable in water—for example, our Frappuccino blended beverage
®
base or Starbucks VIA Instant coffee, we roast coffee at our soluble plant in Georgia, USA, where it is
®
microground, made soluble and then packaged.
After coffee is packaged, it’s ready to be shipped to stores.

By the time it arrives in stores, our coffee has often traveled across much of the globe and been
quality‑checked at least 12 times, all to ensure the perfect cup of coffee reaches our customers
every day, every time.

Key Takeaways
• There are three teams that have a role
in ensuring green coffee quality: Farmer
Support Centers (FSCs), Starbucks Coffee
Trading Company (SCTC) and the Global
Coffee Quality (GCQ) team.
• Coffee is sampled multiple times to ensure

quality in three phases: offer sample,
preshipment sample and arrival sample.
• Direct contact method is the most common

method of decaffeinating coffee because
a greater amount of flavor is retained in
this process.
• Our aged coffee is from the Asia / Pacific

region that features some of our most iconic
blends with spicy flavor notes.
• Each coffee is roasted to highlight unique

flavor characteristics.
• In our 45+ years of blending and roasting, we

have mastered the art and continuously find
ways to bring innovation to our customers.
Stop

Coffee
Leadership

BARIS TA
CR AF T

Delivering quality coffee to
our customers is the realm of
our baristas. Understanding
brewing methods and
equipment maintenance leads
to the ultimate in handcrafted
beverages.
Learning Objectives

• Teach The Four Fundamentals

of Brewing great coffee
and articulate why each one
is critical.
• Describe different brewing

methods and how each affects
the flavor characteristics of
a coffee.
• Understand your role in

ensuring beverage quality
and why it’s important to
our customers.
• Understand your role in

properly maintaining
equipment and why it is
critical to brewing a great
cup of coffee.
• Confidently troubleshoot
quality issues in all
brew methods.

Preparing Coffee
As you’ve learned previously, every cup of coffee we make—in our stores and at home—
begins with a simple approach based on The Four Fundamentals of Brewing: quality water,
proper proportion, accurate grind, and fresh coffee.
The Four Fundamentals are a foundation tool for every Coffee Master. We’ve already
learned that preparing a great cup of coffee requires getting The Four Fundamentals
correctly applied to a single brew method; however, we’re going to go deeper so you can
master each area in order to expand your expertise and coach others.
As a Coffee Master, you will have great responsibility. And you will make an even greater impact on every
team member and customer you take under your wing.
You and your fellow team members are the last in a long line of people who’ve worked to make each cup of
Starbucks coffee perfect. In the end, a great cup of coffee depends on the care it gets in the last 10 feet
®
of its journey in your hands.
Being a Coffee Master means taking pride in what we do and applying excellence to the delivery of fresh,
delicious coffee to our customers. It’s a combination of skills and talents—part quality advocate, technical
expert and coffee enthusiast.
As we’ve discussed, coffee quality is incredibly important and is protected throughout coffee’s journey
from its farm to our stores. A Coffee Master is a guardian and ambassador for coffee quality in the last 10
feet. In this role, you will help partners and customers connect with coffee. But before you can lead others
in their coffee journey, you need to be able to lead yourself across coffee’s last 10 feet. Here are a few of
the areas where Coffee Masters truly lead coffee in our company.
Our Barista Promise
Love your beverage or let us know.

We'll always make it right.

The Four Fundamentals of Brewing
Water
There are two components to water that we have to manage in order to ensure we’re brewing great coffee:
purity and temperature.
Purity: fresh, filtered water is ideal. If the water doesn’t taste good to begin with, then it will show through
in the coffee.
Temperature: Full and proper extraction of the coffee’s flavor occurs when water temperature is
195°F–205°F (90°C–96°C).
Have you explored differences in water? Can you identify when something’s wrong with the water used
to brew coffee? When water is not hot enough, a sour taste will come through. When the water is too hot,
you will experience an unmistakably bitter flavor.
Proportion
Proportion, which is the ratio of coffee to water, allows the proper extraction of the coffee’s full flavors,
resulting in a rich, aromatic cup. Using too little coffee makes a bitter cup because too much water passes
through the grounds pulling out undesirable components. Using too much coffee creates an under-
extracted cup with sour and “off“ flavors.
Have you explored proportion? Have you noticed how proportions can vary by machine?
Grind
The grind determines how long the coffee and water are in contact and how much flavor is extracted.
Too fine a grind will produce bitter-tasting coffee. Too coarse a grind will result in a watery taste.
Whole bean coffee stays fresh longer because there’s less surface area exposed to oxygen, so it’s best
to grind coffee just before brewing.
Proper grind is determined by the brewing method: coarse for a press; medium for flat-bottom drip;
fine for cone; and extra-fine for espresso.
As a general rule, pair longer brew times with a coarser grind, and pair shorter brew times with a finer
grind.
Freshness
Think of coffee as fresh produce and protect it from oxygen, light, heat and moisture. Never store coffee
in a refrigerator or freezer. Moisture will condense onto the coffee each time the container is opened,
affecting its flavor.
Coffee flavors are fragile, so never leave brewed coffee on a burner for more than 20 minutes. If kept in
a thermal carafe, coffee will maintain its freshness for approximately 30 minutes. Never reheat coffee.
Store coffee in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature and use within a week of opening.
THE BARISTA IMPACT ∙ 113

Applying The Four Fundamentals
across Brew Methods
Exploring and mastering a brew method requires you to know The Four Fundamentals
thoroughly, in order to adjust to a brew method’s differences in approach.
Across our stores and markets, you may find a range of brew methods:
Immersion
(in which the coffee is fully immersed)
• Coffee Press: This method retains the flavorful oils of the coffee
resulting in a rich and full-bodied cup.
• Clover Brewer: Utilizes a full-immersion brewing method paired

®
with vacuum extraction resulting in highly defined flavors. The coffee

will have a medium-body texture while still being very clean.
Gravity / Drop Methods
(water is poured over a bed of coffee)
• Pour-Over: This manual brewing method produces a rich, clean

cup of coffee that allows subtle flavor notes to shine. This method
produces one cup at a time.
• Drip Brewer: An automated approach to pour-over that typically

produces a larger batch for more cups.
• Chemex : A specialized variation of pour-over, producing a rich,

®
clean and flavorful cup of brewed coffee. Typically produces 2–3

cups per brew.
Vacuum Filtration
• Siphon Brewer: Offers an entertaining and highly visual
demonstration of coffee artistry and science, brewing a coffee
that is very hot with a smooth finish and a slightly cleaner taste.
Pressurized Extraction
• Espresso Machine: Coffee produced when hot water is pushed
through finely ground coffee. The flavor will be intense and
subtly sweet.
Using the same type of coffee in different brewing equipment will

create coffee beverages with different taste and body characteristics.
Choosing the optimum brewing method for the desired beverage is
114 ∙ COFFEE MASTER essential to the successful transformation of coffee flavor.

There are three variables controlled
by brewing equipment:
Water Contact Time: As a Coffee Master, you should

embrace curiosity: explore The
How long the coffee and water are together. Four Fundamentals of Brewing
on your favorite methods and
try out new ones too.
Water Temperature:
It should be consistently between 195°F–205°F (90°C–96°C).
Water that is too hot will cause over-extraction, while water that
is too cold will cause under-extraction.
Turbulence:
The mixing action that must be created by water moving through,
over and around the particles of ground coffee.
There are two variables controlled

by the barista:
Proportion and Grind:

Once the brewing method has been selected. the barista will need
to adjust proportion and grind appropriately, taking into account the
brewing method.
BARISTA CRAFT ∙ 115

Why Equipment Maintenance Matters
Owning coffee quality means caring about every step in how you prepare coffee and
beverages, including the equipment and tools you use.
Coffee Masters are responsible for maintaining and caring for the equipment used to
prepare coffee, which helps ensure the coffee and beverages are perfectly made.
It doesn’t take long for coffee oils to build up on equipment. These

oils can make a perfectly pulled shot taste rancid or a perfectly
prepared, normally delicious coffee absolutely undrinkable. If your
equipment is dirty or improperly maintained, you can’t craft
delicious beverages.
Our coffee equipment is specially designed and programmed to

deliver the very best cup of Starbucks coffee. ®
As a Coffee Master, your role is to ensure your coffee-brewing

equipment has a schedule for cleaning and maintenance and your
team knows how to perform the duties.
This includes:
Grinders
Brewer
Espresso machines
Clover brewer
®
Coffee presses
Pour-over cones
and kettles


Handcrafting Beverages
Customers come to Starbucks for their favorite handcrafted beverages, so we always make
beverages we’re proud to deliver. Here are the three components to crafting our high-
quality beverages.
Espresso Quality
Espresso is a brew method where hot water under pressure is forced through finely ground coffee. It
produces a concentrated, aromatic and highly flavorful extract. The flavor is caramelly sweet with a big
body and intense coffee flavor. A shot of espresso pours from the machine in a steady, thin stream with the
appearance like warm honey. The shot should settle with a thick, dark gold crema on top.
The shots of espresso should be tasted regularly throughout the day to ensure they are at their peak flavor.
The espresso machine grinder should be calibrated as often as needed to have the shots pouring in 18–23
seconds. Your role as a Coffee Master is to lead and teach others to ensure every customer gets perfect
espresso shots in every drink.
Milk Quality
Steamed milk is the second-most important component to a perfectly made latte. Milk should be steamed
fresh for each customer, and the consistency should be creamy and dense. This is achieved through
careful steaming with attention paid to the details of movement in the pitcher and gentle pouring into the
customer’s beverage. Only through proper steaming is the milk’s sweet flavor unlocked, which perfectly
married with shots of espresso, keeps our customers coming back day after day and year after year.
As a Coffee Master, you will be looked to by other baristas as a role model for perfectly made espresso
beverages, meeting the customers’ expectations every time, without exception. With all the hands
responsible for getting the highest-quality coffee to our stores—from farmers to roasters—we ask for your
commitment to ensuring the same high-quality beverages get to the customers’ hands.
Latte Art
Having high-quality steamed milk not only makes a beverage taste better, but it’s also the foundation for
creating beautiful latte art.
The best way to give the coffee the respect it deserves is by handing it off in a beverage that will be
thoroughly enjoyed. Imagine how excited you would be if you received a drink with a beautiful work of art.
Latte art is a way for the customer to notice the amount of effort that went into this drink. It’s quality that
you can see. If you can practice to produce latte art in a beverage it’s going to make you feel an immense
amount of pride in what you’re doing.
Practice latte art with each latte you prepare for customers and coach other baristas to practice as
well. Your tips and coaching will build confidence and pride in the skill of making handcrafted espresso
beverages.

Key Takeaways
• You can ensure quality through The
Four Fundamentals of Brewing and can
troubleshoot or apply them to different
brewing methods.
• You can articulate how different brewing

methods can highlight characteristics
of coffees.
• You are responsible for preparing high‑quality

beverages, following beverage routines and
quality standards, tasting espresso shots and
performing equipment maintenance.
Stop

YOUR ROLE A S
COFFEE MA S TER

The knowledge you gain is
meant to be shared with team
members and customers
throughout your career. It’s
putting everything you know
into action, coaching others
and never settling for less than
exceptional quality.
Learning Objectives

• K now your role as a Coffee

Master and how to turn your
knowledge into action.
• Understand Starbucks
commitment to keep coffee
at our core via coffee traditions
passed on through the year.
YOUR ROLE AS COFFEE MASTER ∙ 121

Coffee Leadership & Certification
Sometimes the world of coffee can be intimidating or difficult to navigate. Your role is to
help your fellow team members and customers understand and appreciate coffee, help
them find special coffees they’ll love and help deliver coffee excellence.
A true Coffee Master is one part knowledge, two parts action. This is where we get into
the action of being a Coffee Master: leading team members and customers in their coffee
journey. This makes up the heart of coffee leadership—a requirement of all Coffee Masters.
This is not a passive role but an active one where coaching others and never settling for
less than exceptional quality are required.

Turning Knowledge into Action
This means taking all you’ve learned about coffee and putting it into action. These are some of the actions
that will contribute to creating a culture of coffee passion in your store or workplace.
• Taste coffees with your team and customers

on a regular basis to further develop your
palate.
• Taste the brewed coffee regularly to make

sure it’s brewed to our standards.
• When a new coffee arrives, taste and

celebrate its story with your team.
• Brew coffee through a variety of brewing

methods to understand how preparation
affects taste. Share your discoveries with
customers and your team.
• Use The Four Fundamentals of Brewing to

talk to customers about preparing coffee
at home.
• Use the Four Fundamentals to brew delicious

coffee using any brewing method.
• Use your resources to explore coffee:

Coffee Passport, Coffee and Tea Resource
Manual and 1912pike.com, and help others
get to know these resources.
• Share your passion through storytelling.

Each coffee has a story. Find the story and
share it with others.

Your Role as a Coffee Leader
Make it personal. Share your story.
A story is a simple, powerful vehicle for communicating our most important experiences
and information. A great story invites the audience into the journey and imparts the
emotion and insight of the storyteller. As a Coffee Master, you are a coffee storyteller!
Share your experience with coffee with fellow team members and customers through
stories. This can be as simple as telling a customer about a favorite coffee you recently tried
and what you loved about it … or share the rich story of the coffee’s journey from farm to cup.
Connecting with Customers

Your coffee expertise is how you’ll help customers find their perfect coffee.
Be confident in your coffee knowledge and excited to share with customers how things like origin and
roast influence the taste of coffee.
Some customers may prefer to shop for coffee online or in their grocery store. Be ready to let them know
that you’d still love to help them find a coffee that’s great for them. Customers only in our Starbucks retail
®
stores benefit from the advice and expertise of Coffee Masters.
In fact, we sell more whole bean and packaged coffee through other channels like grocery stores and club
stores than we do at our own stores. The majority of at-home coffee that is sold outside our stores is either
preground for a traditional drip brewer or in a single-serve format (e.g., Keurig K-Cup pods).
® ®
Starbucks Traditions
We are, at our core, a coffee company. As we grow and evolve, part of the role of a Coffee Master is to
celebrate and build on our deep traditions in coffee. These are our aspirations:
1. We hire people who have a passion for learning about coffee.
2. Everyone tastes our core coffees in the first 90 days of employment.
3. Partners are encouraged to actively use the Coffee Passport during employment.
4. Everyone owns coffee quality. We never walk past an opportunity to improve coffee quality.
If you see something that’s not up to our standards, make it yours and try to fix it.
5. All store managers and above should be working toward achieving Coffee Master certification
within their first year.
6. Every store should be working toward a minimum of two Coffee Masters on its team.
7. Leaders prioritize and recognize coffee leadership.
8. All leaders are expected to teach and mentor the next generation about coffee.

Key Takeaways
Understand your role as a Coffee Master and
the actions you take to support both customers
and partners.
• Be a guardian and champion of

coffee quality.
• Understand and share the

Starbucks difference.
• Positively impact your team, your

customers and the business.
Now it’s time to prepare

for certification.
COFFEE LEADERSHIP ∙ 125

Certification
Preparation
Now that you have completed each section and finished a minimum of four activities for each, it is time to
prepare for your certification. This is a culmination of your learning and a time for you to present your plan
for how you will lead in coffee.
Your Leadership Plan

When you think about what you have learned and your role as a Coffee Master, we know you will have a
newfound passion for coffee and coffee leadership at Starbucks. Your formal learning may be concluding,
but your ongoing learning should actively continue over the course of the next year. As part of your
certification, you will write a plan for how you will stay active in learning and teaching others as well as
being a leader in coffee quality in your store or your work group.
These areas should be your focus as you think of activities:

• Be a guardian and champion of coffee quality.
Every beverage that is made is right for the customer. Each piece of equipment used to brew or
prepare beverages is clean and maintained.
• Understand and share the Starbucks difference.

Teach and coach your fellow team members about brewing in all methods, preparing beverages
and tasting coffee. Become a mentor for new team members and Coffee Masters in their journey.
• Positively impact your team, your customers and the business.

Help customers connect with coffee, meet them where they are and help them with everything
from selecting the right coffee or brewing method for home and choosing the right beverage to
answering their questions about Starbucks coffee-buying practices.
Use the resources listed below and the form that follows as a guide to develop your plan. Check in with your
manager to ensure that you are identifying things on your plan that are achievable and realistic for your role.
Resources
The following resources should be used:
\\ Coffee Master Journal
\\ Coffee Master Activities
\\ Coffee Passport
\\ Coffee and Tea Resource Manual
\\ Store Cleanliness and Equipment Maintenance Manual
\\ Beverage Resource Manual
\\ Tools, resources and reports recommended by manager
\\ 1912pike.com

Coffee Master Leadership Plan
Time frame
Goal Activity
for completion
Example: All team Two shifts per week, I will conduct coffee tastings of a Two shifts
members participate minimum of two core coffees to share with the team. per week for
in at least one coffee I will teach participants to replicate this activity and the next
tasting each week, conduct tastings while on their own shifts. three months.
actively using the
Coffee Passport.
Other Goals or Ideas:
Manager / Coffee Master Coach Sign-Off:

Coffee Master Final Certification Agenda
1. Coffee Tasting 2. Coffee Knowledge 3. Presenting the

(led by you) Conversation Recommendation
15 minutes (led by your Plans (led by you)
Choose two coffees to tell
manager) 25 minutes
your story. 15 minutes Use your Coffee Master
This portion of the Leadership Plan to discuss
As you prepare for the
certification will consist of the activities you will do to
tasting, think about why
several questions about: continue learning and to
you chose these two and
inspire others to:
what the key findings will
be once the coffee tasting \\ History of Coffee
• Be a guardian and
is complete. champion of coffee
\\ Coffee Agriculture
quality.
\\ Why did you choose
\\ Ethical Sourcing
these two coffees? • Understand and share the
\\ Our Coffee Expertise Starbucks difference.
\\ Why are the two coffees
different? \\ Barista Craft • Positively impact your
team, your customers and
\\ Describe the aroma, \\ Y
our Role as Coffee the business.
acidity, body and flavor of Master
each coffee.
\\ Share the story of your

coffee journey.
All answers to these 4. Questions and
questions can be found
in the “Key Takeaways”
Answers
As you taste and discuss
sections. 5 minutes
the coffees, here are some
talking points to consider:
\\ What is the general taste

profile for the three main
coffee-growing regions?
\\ How does coffee

processing affect flavor?
\\ What are Starbucks

ethical sourcing guidelines?
\\ How does the Starbucks ®
Roast impact the flavor of

each coffee?
\\ Why do we blend?

As a newly certified Coffee Master,
you have a significant role in coffee.
As you have learned in this journal, many hands bring the highest-quality coffee to you. May your passion
and commitment lead you to help ensure that every customer at Starbucks experiences this passion of
quality as they hold their cup in their hands. May you inspire those around you to actively engage in their
coffee journey— keeping coffee at our core.
We are counting on you to be the voice expertise and support of all

we do to bring our mission to life each day.
To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup and
one neighborhood at a time.
You are what sets Starbucks apart. Thank you

for your commitment to quality and continuing
to learn and grow on your coffee journey.
COFFEE LEADERSHIP ∙ 129

Notes


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We believe in

the giant potential

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Starbucks Coffee Company

Printed on recycled Mohawk Options.

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We see your potential and we’re

To inspire and nurture the human

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The World of Coffee Our Commitment 66

Investing in Farming Communities 76

Latin America 48 Coffee Leadership

Asia / Pacific 58 Preparing Coffee 112

Why Equipment Maintenance Matters 116

Handcrafting Beverages 118

YOUR ROLE AS COFFEE MASTER

Coffee Leadership & Certification 122

Your Role as a Coffee Leader 124

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JOURNAL DIGITAL CONTENT ACTIVITIES

CHECK IN WITH YOUR

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Your role as a Coffee Master is to:

• Understand and share the Starbucks difference.

• Positively impact your team, your customers and the business.

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Room opened in 2014.

After completing this section

• Understand the legend of

• K now key dates in Starbucks

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Circa 1000 1300 1450–1650

12 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

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THE HISTORY OF COFFEE ∙ 13

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14 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

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* Source: Pour Your Heart Into It, Howard Schultz

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store count: 4 store count: 11 partner count: 100

1980 1985 1990

16 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

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1995 2000 2005

THE HISTORY OF COFFEE ∙ 17

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Starbucks Launches Shared

store count: 18,206 partner count: 149,000

18 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

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• Starbucks opened its first store in Pike Place

• Our first Caffè Latte was served in 1984

• Pike Place Roast, the first blend created from

customer input, debuted in 2008.

• In 2013 we bought a coffee farm, Hacienda

• The first Starbucks Reserve Roastery and

Tasting Room opened in 2014 in Seattle,

THE HISTORY OF COFFEE ∙ 19

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• Understand the legend of

• K now key dates in Starbucks

12 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

14 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

16 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

18 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

• Describe several factors that

• E xplain the differences

• Understand the coffee tree

• Understand the basics of

• Describe how coffee is

• Understand various farm types

• Understand how growing

22 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

24 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

• Leaves are ridged with a • Leaf nodes are close

26 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

28 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

30 · COFFEE MASTER

34 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

36 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

38 ∙ COFFEE MASTER

40 ∙ COFFEE MASTER