Starbucks Coffee Thailand is excited to prepare the celebration in September of Starbucks® Muan Jai™ Blend’s first anniversary. Starbucks® Muan Jai™ is a blend in Starbucks line of Commitment to Origins™ coffees reflecting Starbucks efforts to support Thai farmers from the hill tribes of Northern Thailand. Starbucks Coffee Company is now extending the availability of Muan Jai™ Blend to 5 Asia Pacific countries (Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Shienghai). In Thailand, Muan Jai™ Blend along with other Commitment to Origins™ coffees will be available for Thai customers at all 45 Starbucks stores starting from September, 2004.
“Commitment to Origins™ is a special category of Starbucks® coffees that highlights some of the ways that Starbucks supports conservation and works to improve the environment and socio-economic conditions of farmers and their families,” said Mr. Andrew Nathan, managing director of Starbucks Coffee Thailand.
Starbucks® Muan Jai™ blend is a bold blend of Arabica coffees from Thailand and select islands in the Pacific. It is a well-balanced coffee with notable body and a lingering earthy spiciness in the finish.
By drinking Starbucks® Muan Jai™ blend, customers in Thailand and abroad can enjoy the highest quality coffee that also benefits Thai coffee farmers. This coffee is a ‘Farm Direct’ coffee, which means it was purchased directly from the farmers who grew it, at an agreed upon price. This approach assures Starbucks receives a quality product that meets our standards of excellence, and the farmers receive a guaranteed price for their coffee. In addition, this year again 5 per cent of the proceeds from Muan Jai™ Blend sales in Thailand and in selected markets will be dedicated to provide the coffee growing community of northern Thailand with assistance in various areas such as school facilities, water drainage or education.
To celebrate Muan Jai’s anniversary, Starbucks Coffee Thailand will also have on offer another 3 Commitment to Origins™ coffees-- Starbucksâ Fair Trade Blend (Fair Trade Certified coffees), Starbucks® Shade Grown Mexico coffee (Coffee grown under shade) and Organic Sumatra (Growing coffee organically without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers contributes to maintaining a healthy environment and clean ground water).
Starbucksâ Fair Trade Blend is Fair Trade CertifiedSM by an independent, nonprofit organization affiliated with Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). This coffee is a blend of the finest Fair Trade certified coffees. It is light-to-medium bodied, with a mild flavor, a pleasing soft acidity and clean finish.
Starbucks® Shade Grown Mexico coffee is a coffee grown under shade; that is under the canopy of the surrounding vegetation and in harmony with a natural environment. This coffee is a medium bodied coffee with a crisp and refreshing finish and it’s the result of Starbucks’ partnership with Conservation International land working closely with the coffee farmers living in El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, southern Mexico to protect the biodiversity of tropical forests in one of the world’s biodiversity ‘hotspots’.
Organic Sumatra is coffee grown organically without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers contributes to maintaining a healthy environment and clean ground water. Sumatra can be described as earthy and unpredictable, with an unusually concentrated flavor, heavy full body and deep, earthy aroma.
Starbucks® Muan Jai™ Blend, Starbucks® Fair Trade Blend coffee, Starbucks® Shade Grown Mexico coffee and Sumatra Organic will be available in Thailand beginning in September and will be sold as whole bean coffee for customers to brew at home and also served as brewed Coffee of the Day.
Starbucks Coffee International, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company, the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 7,500 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. The company is committed to offering the highest quality coffee and Starbucks Experience and conducting its business in ways that help foster social, environmental and economic benefits for communities in which it does business.