Starbucks helps coffee growers with $20 million

In response to critically low coffee prices in Central America, Starbucks announced a commitment of up to $20 million to temporarily relieve smallholder farmers  in the region with whom it does business, until the market self-corrects to rise above the cost of production.

The funds will go directly to smallholder farmers in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador to subsidize farmer income during the upcoming harvest season.

“A majority of the coffee we purchase comes from smallholder farmers and the coffee crisis in Central America related to low prices cannot be ignored,” says Michelle Burns, senior vice president of Starbucks.