Monday, May 7, 2007

Starbucks vs Ethiopia

"The long-running dispute between Starbucks and the Ethiopian government was close to being resolved last night after the two sides said they had reached an outline agreement over the country's ownership of its premium varieties of coffee.
A deal could represent a significant victory for the impoverished east African country. It had been thwarted by Starbucks in its attempt to get a higher price for its coffees, which would earn its farmers tens of millions of dollars extra each year.
Oxfam welcomed the news but looked forward to a final agreement. It launched a campaign against Starbucks last October because of the Seattle-based coffee chain's effective blocking of Ethiopia's attempts to trademark its coffee beans in the United States."

Mark my words: Starbucks will squeeze out of this one.

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