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The Dilemma of Starbucks Coffee, Zionism and Arabs!

March 5th, 2011

Recently, false rumors about Starbucks have circulated on the internet and in print media, giving an inaccurate and misleading picture of the company. This post is intended to share the facts surrounding these rumors regardless of geographical location.

Starbucks Facts and the recent rumors:

• Starbucks Coffee Company is a non-political organization and does not support or engage in political or religious causes or activities. Allegations that Starbucks provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army in any way are completely false.
• It is absolutely untrue that Starbucks has ever sent any of its profits to the Israeli government and/or Israeli Army, or that, as more recently rumored, we have teamed with other American corporations to send several weeks of profits to Israel.
• The political preferences or personal beliefs of any Starbucks partner (employee) have absolutely no bearing on Starbucks company policies.
• The Starbucks logo does not represent Esther, the Old Testament Jewish Queen of Persia. This confusion arose from a perceived resemblance between the cover illustration of a children’s book “Esther saves her People” published in 1998, and the Starbucks logo which had been created nearly 30 years earlier in 1971.
• On 2006, a fabricated letter supposedly written by Howard Schultz, was posted on the internet by a German journalist. In the spoof letter, the fictional Schultz said that Starbucks contributed to Israel’s security systems and weaponry. By the journalist’s own admission the letter was intended to amuse its readers. The letter was in no way factual.

_{Photo from this blog.}

The Name: The Starbucks name came from Starbuck, Captain Ahab’s first mate on the ship in Herman Melville’s classic 1851 novel Moby Dick, who was depicted as an avid coffee drinker.

The Logo: The original Starbucks logo is based on a 16th century Norse woodcut; a two-tailed mermaid encircled by the store’s original name, Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spices. The mermaid or siren reflects the seafaring origins of the early coffee traders.

Starbucks in the Middle East: Starbucks’ first store opened in Kuwait in 1999 through a licensing agreement with M.H. Alshaya Co. WLL, a private Kuwait family business. Today M.H. Alshaya Co. has over 280 Starbucks stores across the Middle East region, Including Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

People: Across the Middle East region Starbucks today employs over 2700 partners from approximately over 30 nationalities. – Saudis, Egyptians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Palestinians, Bahrainis, Syrians, Kuwaitis and Omanis. Starbucks is a significant local employer in markets where they operate and remain committed to recruiting local nationals to work in their stores. One hundred percent of their partners in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt; 62% in Oman and 26% in KSA are citizens of the respective country. Their goal is to hire locally where they can.

Suppliers: Starbucks strives to be an integral part of the local economies in which they operate and work closely with local suppliers to develop quality products. Their ultimate goal is to provide the Starbucks Experience to you, customers, while respecting the local customs and cultures of each country.

Anniversary: In February 2011, Starbucks celebrated their 12th anniversary of connecting with their partners and customers over a cup of high quality coffee and offering the Starbucks Experience across the Middle East.

Contribution to Local Communities: Starbucks is proud to be a part of the local fabric of the local community and committed to supporting local projects, especially in the area of youth and environmental stewardship.

For more, read this.