Starbucks serves up its first Fairtrade coffees

The move is expected to increase the amount of Fairtrade certified coffee sold in the UK and Ireland by 18% this year. Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation UK, said: "Starbucks is really setting the pace for the coffee industry by using its global size for good. This move will expand the reach of Fairtrade and deepen its impact on tens of thousands of farmers who are at the very heart of the Fairtrade system." Starbucks is already the world's largest purchaser of Fairtrade coffee, and the switch to Fairtrade Certified espresso in the UK will help contribute to a total global annual payment to small-scale coffee farmers estimated at £2.5 million. Starbucks Fairtrade Certified Espresso Roast is sourced largely from Latin America, specifically across Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru, and it will be these farming communities who benefit most immediately, with other producers set to follow. Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary, said: "Shoppers in the UK are showing an increasing appetite for Fairtrade - with seven in 10 households purchasing Fairtrade products - so we're delighted that this move will give more consumers even more choice every day. "Tens of thousands of farmers will benefit from this commitment, which shows the power of businesses, both big and small, to contribute to sustainable community development through trade, and have a major impact on the lives of poor people."