What is the point?

Ironic isn't it?

Starbucks- In the limelight & NOT loving it

photo credit: iapia

Starbucks is already working on moving towards rBGH-free dairy products. Agreed,
- there is no deadline at this point for Starbucks' dairy suppliers to go rBGH-free and
- the ban is for company-operated stores (~6000) only and doesn't apply to its licensed outlets (3168) in such locations as supermarkets, airports and hospitals.
But they have actually heeded the consumers wishes and many thanks to them for all the effort being put into making rBGH-free a huge reality.

The publicity hasn't ended there for Starbucks though and one good deed done isn't enough, as they've found out. Another kind of reality is biting their ass, threatening to paint it a hypocrite; this in spite of their "Coffee that cares" mantra... it's the reality of social justice and free trade.

Talks in Briton have begun on Ethiopia seeking fair price for its coffee... which includes screening of the documentary 'Black Gold' - shot by the British brothers Nick and Mark Francis. Marc said that the focus of the film was to emphasize the plight of the coffee farmers in Ethiopia and the need for these farmers to capture more of the value chain of their product. He also said that they weren't attacking any particular coffee giant. The documentary tells a riveting and jaw-dropping story of Ethiopia's coffee farmers like the epic tragedy that it is, showing malnourished coffee growers depending on handouts of food from the United States to stave off starvation.

Now Starbucks, whose annual turnover of $ 7.8 bn isn't much lower than Ethiopia's total GDP, is feeling the heat more than anyone. This despite the fact that Starbucks imports about 2 % of the coffee produced in Ethiopia- accounting for only $6-8 million of the total $ 400 million in exports.

Tadesse Meskela, who is the subject of the movie, runs the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia, representing about 105,000 coffee growers, and struggles to get the best price - nowhere near high enough to earn them a decent living.

He says the country's premium coffees - Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Harar - can sell for fair trade export at about $1.60 a pound. After deducting costs, the growers get about $1.10. Roasters can sell the coffee on at $20-26 per pound. Coffee retailers make about 52 espressos from a pound of coffee, worth up to $160 a pound. Asking for $4 a pound minimum, Mr Meskela said that the people are living hand to mouth, without any clean water, or proper health care. Farmers are sometimes forced to sell their product for less than it costs to produce, so more of them are turning to the cultivation of a fast-growing, extremely lucrative narcotic plant in East Africa, called Chat. Given the picture, it doesn't take a genius to see less famine, more aerial bombing of agricultural fields in this country's future.

Mr Meskela already has the backing of Ed Balls, economic secretary to the Treasury. He said : "Delivering trade justice is not just morally right, it is an economic necessity for Tadesse and the farmers. We urgently need the WTO talks to start again so that we can make good our promise to deliver trade justice for Tadesse and millions of others in the world's poorest countries."

Defending itself, Starbucks said it is paying premium prices to farmers in poor countries, well above the average market price. It has gone on a charm offensive, telling its customers "you can feel good about drinking Starbucks coffee", taking its message to YouTube and sending its chief executive to Addis Ababa. Responding to this Mr. Meskela said "Starbucks may help bring clear water for one community but this does not solve the problem. In 2005, Starbucks' aid to the third world was $1.5m. We don't want this kind of support, we just want a better price. They make huge profits; giving us just one payment of money does not help," said Mr Meskela.

The Ethiopian government, keen to get a much better price for a commodity that makes up the bulk of its exports, has been trying to trademark its three prized coffee brands. While Green Mountain, (US's second biggest speciality coffee distributor after Starbucks), have been willing to engage with Addis Ababa to discuss a voluntary licensing scheme which recognises their ownership of the coffee brands, Starbucks has used its muscle within the National Coffee Association of America to block Addis Ababa's trademarking attempts.

Ron Layton, a Washington-based lawyer with Light Years IP who is advising the Ethiopians, says successful trademarking could add $88m a year to Ethiopia's export earnings. He says Europe, Japan and Canada have already registered the trademarks and the US trademark office could do so were it not for Starbucks' opposition.

Douglas Holt, a professor of marketing at Said Business School at Oxford University, says the company may be committing brand suicide by continuing to resist the Ethiopian move. The company built its brand on a commitment to economic justice for its poor coffee farmers, but now risks losing millions of customers if they perceive it as a hypocrite. He sums the whole issue effectively when he says "Starbucks must now walk the walk even if it means occasionally making economic sacrifices."

All you coffee drinkers out there, wake up and smell the numbers

$1.10: Amount per pound of coffee that growers receive after deducting costs
$160: Amount that retailers can make on a pound of coffee

It will soon be apparent, whether the outcome of the campaign in London will spell doom for this particular coffee giant, but till then I hope the executives at Starbucks develop a conscience & hatch out a plan to redistribute their wealth to help the very people who fatten their pockets. Social justice anyone?

Source: Guardian Unlimited ; Starbucks

Innovative, eco-friendly & sexy- bra that is!

NO! reji-bukuro bra

Triumph International, a 110 year old German lingerie manufacturer, has a flair for innovation.. they are also environmentally conscious.

Their Japanese counterpart Triumph International Japan unveiled a new type of brassiere that can be converted into a shopping bag in 2006. Called the “No! Shopping Bag Bra” (NO! reji-bukuro bra), the environmentally-friendly lingerie is designed to promote the reduction of plastic bag consumption, a key objective of the revised Containers and Packaging Recycling Law hammered out by Japanese lawmakers in June last year.

Each year, Japanese shoppers receive an estimated 30 billion plastic shopping bags, which, in terms of the oil resources needed to produce them, amounts to two giant tankers full of oil (est. millions of barrels). There is an urgency to reduce plastic bag usage, as around 30% of these bags are thrown away without being reused. The consumption of plastic shopping bags contributes to environmental problems such as increased energy usage, trash buildup, and global warming due to CO2 released in the garbage incineration process, so the focus isn't misplaced.

When the bra is being worn, the “shopping bag” portions are folded away inside the bra cups, where they serve as extra padding. The bra quickly converts to a shopping bag by removing the bag portions from the cups and connecting the hooks on the bra’s underwire. The lace cups serve as decoration along with the shoulder straps, which are disconnected and tied to the top of the bag as ribbons.

The bra, available in red, blue, green, yellow and pink is made from the Teijin Group’s ECOPET brand of polyester fiber, which has been recycled from plastic bottles through the company’s patented EcoCircle recycling system.

Contrary to some thoughts I've heard on blogs about this bra, I don't think the idea is to rip off your bra once you reach the grocery store (though it's your choice if you'd prefer shocking the prudes out there!!), but to alternate their usage as a bra and a bag.... or if you'd prefer, to use the garment as a bra till you are ready for a change of color or style, and then use it as a bag.. voila!!! I would definitely bring one home...... my days of collecting the souvenir cloth handbags from the trade shows (food) would be a thing of the past.

The bras are not on sale as yet. Irrespective of the concept viability, the innovative brains at Triumph need to be acknowledged. The company has a long history of developing eco-themed bras, such as the Recycle PET Bra (1997), Eco-globe Bra (2004) and Warm Biz Bra (2005) .

On the other end of the globe, anyone who has a Victoria's Secret (VS) undergarment in their drawer knows what I mean when I say their bras make you feel like a million dollars (not to mention ohh so sexy!) and those damn little things last for ages... While Limited Brands, VS's parent company is doing its bit towards sustainability through recycling (paper & plastic), reducing energy usage, waste management and proposing to save forests, I would love to see them work more with fabric recycling & finding recyclable materials for their clothing...

I'd also love to see this happen:
-VS setting up collection banks for used undergarments and maybe offer a discount at their stores to women who donate their unused or used undergarments in good shape --- Second hand underwear is in huge demand in African countries where people cannot afford to buy a bra or underwear in many cases. There is some controversy regarding the import of used undergarments with bans imposed by governments in Kenya and Tanzania, saying that the used garments were causing skin diseases. Maybe a corporate (like Limited), would be looked upon to maintain standards even in used clothing sales, proving to be a reliable supplier & in turn help clothe the poor....
Along with community service, VS could see increased sales in their stores due to the promotion...

Now if something similar can be done with the dredded grandma panties :-)

Source: Triumph International Japan,

Justice, fairplay - Where is it?

The Nithari killings story isn't new.... here is the update (case timeline is on right) if you need to read up on the case. The story has been unfolding, with hearings, CBI involvement, tests etc. these past few days and the accused are being tried at the Ghaziabad district court (Noida).
Yesterday, a mob consisting mainly of lawyers and public angered by the decision of the court to handle the hearing behind closed doors, attacked the accused Moninder Singh Pandher and his cook Surendra Koli, after the hearing.
Watching the video of the accused being attacked in court, I was appalled. Was I hearing this right & seeing reality? I for one do not have much compassion for rapists... the accused I hope pay for their crime. What bothers me is the callous way in which the government and the police are handling the case... I believe even the accused have a right to safe hearing, a right to live, a right to prove their innocence, irrespective of the crime. When the police took them under their custody, they also took the responsibility to safeguard their lives (apart from aiming to impart justice to the parents of the kids).
If mob lynching could solve all the crimes and provide justice, India would be a haven for all victims wouldn't it? I don't understand... what gives the general public (not related to the crime in any which way) and the lawyers the right to meet out punishment through verbal and physical abuse? If rendering the accused unconscious with blows would bring back the dead, bring back life to its normal ways before they were kidnapped, killed, raped, I'd understand.

Human rights are for all... murderers included. Even in a corrupt country like India, there is judicial system set up to deliver justice... harboring a false sense of vendetta against every killer, ever rapist, every criminal and acting out on your personal rage will not quench the anguish of the victims, or the guilt of the accused....

The Ghaziabad Bar Association blame the police for the fiasco.... I haven't heard though anyone ask for an account of personal responsibility from the lawyers or the general public who stooped down to violence.... for what cause I ask you?

Sip the new coffee

An interesting article in the Chicago Tribune a few days ago mentioned the rise of soft drink consumption based on the research from one of the watchdogs… now whether you’d like to call your beverage ‘pop’ or ‘coke’ or ‘soda’ (check this mosaic out) it doesn’t matter.

The article highlights recent research conducted byNPD Group (a NY based consumer research firm) that points to a near doubling of the number of people who consume a carbonated soft drink at breakfast from 1990 to 2006. Over the same period, the data shows roughly a 10% drop in coffee consumption at breakfast during that period, making a concession that the statistics do not include coffee that is consumed apart from that at meals - aka the Starbucks phenomenon. A primary driver for this growth is the youth market. According to Harry Balzer from NPD, the youth market is driving the growth, with the heaviest soft drink consumption at breakfast being in the 18 to 25 age group. Adults too were quoted in the article as tapping the carbonated concoctions - full-sugar or the diet version—first thing in the morning… my buddy Liz is one of them.

This must sound like sweet music to the ears of the carbonated beverage giants. Trying to ride the upswing in consumption, the Coca-Cola Company is releasing a fortified version of Diet Coke® in the near future. It might just be a gamble that pays off, as the domestic market is seeing growth on both fronts—general fortification and functional foods that address specific health condition… a trend that is projected to continue for the coming years. If that happens, then it won’t be long before Pepsi jumps the bandwagon to try to grab the market share with a ‘me too’ product… with a 'twist' of course!!!

If consumers are already drinking soft drinks for breakfast, marketing is going to seize the opportunity and I don’t doubt R&D will put out fortified versions…… it makes sense… the only challenge then would be to fortify without altering the established flavor profiles, as consumers can be finicky where their soda is concerned.

Consume Sambazon- Save the Amazon

A grove of Acai palms

Harvested berries @ Sambazon

Product Offering- Sambazon

If you are into power foods/health food and frequent the organic isle at the grocery store, you would have heard of Sambazon.
In Nov 2006, the Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) was awarded to Sambazon for their efforts to promote sustainable development in the Brazilian Rain forest, while improving the conditions of indigenous people through creative marketing of the Açaí (pronounced as (ah-sigh-EE)) fruit. They were also recognized by the Ashoka Organization with the Global Social Entrepreneurship award for market driven strategies that benefit low income communities.

The company was started in 2000 by two Californian entrepreneurs Ryan Black and Ed Nicholas who loved the taste of the berries while in Brazil. Securing exclusive U.S. distribution with the main Açaí processing factories in Brazil in exchange for a percentage of profits dedicated to rain-forest protection, they have expanded the company over the past six years. They became the first company to import certified Organic Acai into the USA & are the only Acai importer that is certified Free Trade. In Oct 2006 they opened the world's largest proprietary Açaí manufacturing facility in Brazil to increase volume of imports.

This makes Sambazon a vertically integrated supplier of Açaí products, controlling every step of the manufacturing process to ensure sustainable and organic origin of the fruit as well as the quality, nutrition and taste. Said Ryan Black the firm’s founder & CEO “Our new factory is a key milestone on our mission to produce the highest quality raw material and consumer goods that promote sustainable management of the Brazilian Amazon- which is what our company stands for with the acronym SAMBAZON.”

In a country where deforestation is rampant, due to excessive logging in the Amazon and millions live below the poverty line, business opportunities based on sustainable agro-forestry are hard to come by. The Açaí palm tree, native and endemic to the Amazon bears a dark purple fruit the size of a blueberry. It naturally covers an area larger than 2.5 million acres & grows in the Amazon River Estuary abundantly. Local growers, better known as ribeirinhos (river people), depend on the Açaí both for subsistence and income generation. In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, açaí palm was described as the populations' most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of their diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight), and is additionally economically valuable in the region (Murrieta et al., 1999).

The fruit is rich in antioxidants ( twice that of blueberries), essential omega fats (Omega 3, 6 &9), anthocyanins (10 times more than in red wine), fiber (44.2g per 100gm of berry), protein (8.1gm per 100gm) & plant sterols and is in growing demand due to the fruit's unique health benefits , as well as a more adventurous consumer palate, which increasingly seeks new, ‘exotic' flavors and ingredients.

The increased demand has offered an opportunity to change the socioeconomic situation of the people that live along the riverbanks of the Estuary, and is an attractive alternative to unsustainable economic activities that dominate regional land use such as logging, cattle ranching and soya processing.

To mitigate potential environmental threats from over cultivation of the berry due to the demand, the Peabiru Institute in partnership with Sambazon Inc. designed the Sustainable Açaí Project which includes a team of leading research institutions, such as the Goeldi Museum, Amapa and Para State Federal Universities and other local contributing NGOs.

The project aims to prove that sustainable agro-forestry in the Amazon estuary can improve living conditions, enhance educational opportunities and promote forest conservation. The Project consists of three phases:

1) Creating specific Biosocial Indicators to evaluate impact of Açaí trade on the local region through standard metrics

2) Developing and implementing Sustainable Agro-Forestry Management out-reach programs to positively impact the threats and opportunities of Açaí cultivation; and

3) Building an Açaí Technical Center aimed to develop and disseminate economically feasible technologies to recycle Açaí by-products.

The whole project is centered on Institutional Building to create a consistent and replicable model. They hope to use it throughout the entire region to create positive socioeconomic change and promote rainforest conservation and biodiversity.

Though there is no one solution to protecting the Amazon rainforest, initiatives like these that offer sustainable development along with economic alternatives can help keep the forest green longer. Sambazon is one viable solution of how you, the locals and the Rainforest can reap the benefits of a truly magical fruit while protecting and enhancing the future for all, say the founders…. I can’t have said it better. I applaud their efforts... because their sustainable model is working... for now.

Food companies need to follow their example and work towards sustainable agriculture, especially the ones that are into commodities processing (Cargill, you listening?) along with a mission to become free trade certified…. What? Can’t I at least hope?

Murrieta, R. S. S., Dufour, D. L. and Siqueira, A. D. 1999. Food consumption and subsistence in three Caboclo populatons on Marajo Island, Amazonia, Brazil. Human ecology 27: 455-475.

The real enemy

I am stumped, lost.... I know I am painting a bleak picture....

What do you do when your enemy isn't poverty, physical handicap or financial dependence.... but the mindset of the society as a whole... the belief system that is unshakable in all whole hold it sacred..

The dictionary says ABUSE is:

to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way.

to speak insultingly, harshly, and unjustly to or about; revile; malign.

to commit sexual assault upon.

bad or improper treatment; maltreatment.

a corrupt or improper practice or custom.

But what if abuse is not considered as abuse, but a necessary evil you have to live with.... the intensity and kinds you are subjected to determined by your gender mainly, but also by caste, social hierarchy, occupation & income? And what if this forms the core of the beliefs people imbibe at a young age.. never to be tampered with or changed.

In my interaction with a lot of people here, I have personally heard them accept it as normal: the physical abuse kids undergo, the domestic violence women face, the ohhhhh... so innocent fondling & touching children endure from family or from someone they know, the sexual abuse, molestation, eve teasing women face, the verbal abuse that strips them of any dignity or self-esteem they harbor
There is no end!!!

Your idealism, the sense of purpose all falter when the magnitude of the problem hits you.... when you realize that donating money or even time at your local NGO is not enough... the relief you provide to these people remains temporary.. without addressing or working towards changing the belief's the underprivileged hold, your help is just a passing fantasy.... you move on to the next project, next person with a sense of satisfaction, but you've left behind people in no better a condition than before....

If all that women want is a good life, within the confines of male domination, within the confines of domestic/sexual/verbal abuse; being codependent they look for a master who can be just a bit gentle; whether father or husband, what do you do?

Being accustomed to asserting my individuality & free will, I presumed all the women were burning to do the same... all those, who I know are suppressed, dominated, helpless...
I was quite wrong.. I did what I most abhor... I presumed and prejudged. Such is human frailty.
I feel deflated..... not having anticipated the unforeseen roadblock- beliefs imbibed from the society!

I'm no stranger to abuse.. I've experienced every form of it through childhood... I've struggled to be break the mould, be myself and be independent.... Now I am assimilating the fact that not everyone finds abuse outrageous, or considers it an invasion or unnecessary.
I haven't given up on helping those in need... I just have to change my approach.

Will let you know when I make some progress...