Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices

Ensuring ethical sourcing for coffee

C.A.F.E. Practices

Contact

What is Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices?

Starbucks has a longstanding commitment to conducting business responsibly and supporting communities where we do business. Since 2004, the cornerstone of the Starbucks ethical sourcing approach to buying coffee has been the Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices program. The program aims to verify that all Starbucks coffee is grown, processed, and traded in an economically, socially, and environmentally responsible manner. C.A.F.E. Practices is a third-party audited verification program with a continuous improvement approach; rather than a one-time certification, the program works to improve practices over time. The C.A.F.E. Practices Standard serves as a foundational set of practices for the program that seeks to move producers and coffee supply chains towards resilience through this continuous improvement model.

Starbucks relies on SCS Global Services (SCS) to ensure the quality and integrity of the third-party verification process for its C.A.F.E. Practices. We train and approve third-party organizations who verify suppliers participating in C.A.F.E. Practices.

Read about Starbucks’ ethical sourcing process and SCS’ role here.

Looking for the Standard or other Resources?

All C.A.F.E. Practices documents are available in the tabs below.

For Supplier questions, contact Starbucks Farmer Support Center: [email protected]

Looking for a verification organization?

Locate an approved verification organization near you.

  • Path to Verification
  • Preparing for Verification
  • V4 Documents
  • V3.4 Documents

What’s changed in V4?

SCS Global Services and Starbucks have spent over two years revising the C.A.F.E. Practices program. Our comprehensive approach included gathering input from key stakeholders, field-testing aspects of the program within various coffee growing regions and evaluating industry best practices. The resulting update to the Standard aims to provide clarity on expectations, promote continuous improvement and strengthen the program’s approach to responsible sourcing.

The revision introduces a tiered approach to verification, to be implemented in phases. Tier 1 (launching in 2025) is the core foundation, while Tiers 2 and 3, launching at a later date, will focus on progressive compliance and the recognition of best practices. To facilitate the transition to this new system, a two-year transition period has been established, encompassing 2025 and 2026.

For more information, review our new V4 documents.

Apply to become a Starbucks supplier

  1. Contact Starbucks directly, via email: [email protected]
  2. Complete the Supplier Application Template, located within the “Preparing for Verification” tab.
  3. Locate an approved verification organization near you.

Apply to become a verification organization

  1. Complete the Verification Organization Application Form, located within the “Preparing for Verification” tab.
  2. Email the completed form to [email protected].

Verification Organizations

Suppliers

C.A.F.E. Practices Standard

Program Manuals and Policies

Ongoing Verifications

Guidance and Supporting Documents

C.A.F.E. Practices Scorecard

Program Manuals and Policies

Ongoing Verifications

Guidance and Supporting Documents

C.A.F.E. Practices

Contact

Related Services