WHAT: A press conference outside of Starbucks

WHERE:  Starbucks: 1730 Pennsylvania NW (b/w 17th and 18th) in Washington, DC

WHO: Global Exchange and Organic Consumers Association

WHEN:  WEDNESDAY JUNE 13, 2001 AT 10AM

After the Press conference we will be heading over to the World Bank where Starbucks CEO, Orin Smith will be speaking on a panel, "Perspectives on Conserving Biodiversity in the 21st Century".  The public panel which goes from 11 to 12:30 in the Preston Auditorium(18th and H St. NW) will also feature Bank President, James Wolfensohn.

The World Bank is the financial institution that bears the most responsibility for depressing world coffee prices and driving thousands of small coffee farmers off their land.  Despite touting themselves as a company with a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility, Orin Smith admitted in an interview with NPR last month that Fair Trade coffee comprises less than 1/10th of 1 percent of the coffee Starbucks buys.

On June 25-29th, activists in 200 cities around the world will be protesting outside of Starbucks cafes to help guaranteee that Starbucks remove genetically engineered ingredients from their cafes, brew fair trade coffee on a regular basis and improve working conditions on the plantations which grow their coffee.

For more information please contact:
Ronnie Cummins (612)240-1737 - ronnie@organicconsumers.org or
Simon Harris (510) 525-7054 - simon@organicconsumers.org