Starbucks is buying up coffee farms to protect its supply

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Image: Kevin Dietsch (Getty Images)

As the effects of climate change continue to batter many countries worldwide, Starbucks (SBUX) is committed to protecting its coffee supply from natural disasters.

The coffee giant says it has invested in two more coffee farms in Central America. Its first coffee farm is in Guatemala, while the company has opened its second farm in Costa Rica. The two farms will help farmers increase their profits and build climate resiliency, the company said in a press release.

Starbucks, which purchases about 3% of the world’s coffee supply, has been facing growing pressures in the past couple of years because of climate extremes. Climate change has deeply affected the quality of coffee production for companies and farmers.

“Through these innovation farms, we will develop solutions that will not only improve coffee productivity and quality but also empower farmers with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in a changing world and challenging climate,” said Roberto Vega, Starbucks’ vice president of Global Coffee Agronomy, R&D and Sustainability in the statement.

Starbucks purchased its first 240-hectare coffee farm in 2017, in Hacienda Alsacia in Costa Rica. The farm serves as an international global research and development facility and a working farm for the coffee company, according to a separate press release.

The company says the new Guatemalan farm, located in Antigua Valley, will “replicate” a small farm spot with conditions that “mirror challenges” that many farms face in today’s climate.

Meanwhile, the farm in Costa Rica will explore the usage of drones along with other technologies to help support labor availability challenges that farmers across Latin America are facing.

Starbucks’ commitment to preserving its coffee supply dates back to 2017 — when the company announced it plans to plant about 100 million coffee trees by next year.

The company says it has dispensed about 90 million “climate-resistant” coffee trees and more than 53 million coffee sprouts to local farmers.

Starbucks also says it has plans to purchase two more farms in Africa and Asia.

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