Starbucks is back in the news, airing concerns over climate change and the doom-and-gloom longterm forecast of specialty coffee availability. At the same time, Starbucks is also actively pursuing the growing fresh juice market. “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade.”
According to Jim Hanna, the company’s sustainability director, bean farmers already have seen the effects of climate change, including changing rainfall patterns, severe weather, and the presence of new pests. Hanna announced Friday:
“What we are really seeing as a company as we look 10, 20, 30 years down the road — if conditions continue as they are — is a potentially significant risk to our supply chain.
Always keen to be ahead of the times, Starbucks appears to have a back up plan in place, in case this whole coffee thing doesn’t work out.”MSN reported yesterday that Starbucks was eyeing plans to start a juice bar business, which would add smoothies, wheatgrass, and acai to the menu.
The company has even hired one of the New York’s trendiest juice gurus, Yohana Bencosme, former manager of East Village bar Liquiteria, to run the new business. The announcement triggered a 3.5% drop in the stock price of Jamba Juice owner Jamba (JMBA).
These and other recent announcements/Congressional hearings from the SBUX camp should be taken as an indication that Mr. Schultz has political goals for the future, of the sort that could be greatly bolstered by environmental cred. Mark Prince our words: Washington State voters will be asked to “Vote Schultz” by the end of this decade, if not drastically sooner.
