Why climate change has become a threat to Starbucks Merca2.0

Starbucks, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, acknowledged that rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and the spread of pests threaten the viability of the coffee-growing regions on which its global operations depend. As a result, the company has decided to accelerate investments in research, regenerative agriculture, and financial support for coffee farmers.

This is revealed in the Starbucks Global Impact Report FY2025, in which the company explains that its “Back to Starbucks” strategy is designed not only to strengthen the in-store customer experience but also to ensure that the supply of high-quality coffee remains viable for decades to come.

The company recognizes that coffee is at the core of its business model and that protecting coffee production will be essential to sustaining future growth.

Starbucks says climate change threatens its business

In the report, Starbucks states that coffee, like other agricultural crops, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming. The company identifies several factors that are already affecting coffee growers:

• Rising temperatures.
• Changes in rainfall patterns.
• Greater prevalence of pests and diseases.
• Risks to farm productivity.
• Threats to the economic viability of coffee-producing regions.

The company explains that these challenges could jeopardize the global supply of Arabica coffee, the premium variety used in its beverages and sourced from more than 26 producing countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

In response, Starbucks has increased its investment in agricultural research and programs aimed directly at supporting coffee farmers.

Starbucks steps up efforts to protect coffee production

One of the report’s main announcements is that Starbucks achieved a goal first established in 2017: the distribution of 100 million climate-resilient coffee trees.

The trees were delivered primarily to coffee farmers in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador to help replace aging or disease-affected plantations and improve farm productivity.

The company explains that these varieties were selected after years of research due to their greater resilience to climate change while maintaining the quality standards required by the Starbucks brand.

Scientific research becomes a priority for Starbucks

The report highlights that Starbucks strengthened its agricultural research center, Hacienda Alsacia, located in Costa Rica, where it maintains a collection of more than 600 coffee hybrids and varieties.

During fiscal year 2025, the company also opened two new experimental farms, one in Guatemala and another in Costa Rica, where it will evaluate:

• New hybrid coffee varieties.
• Adaptation to different elevations.
• Resistance to different soil types.
• The use of drones.
• Agricultural mechanization technologies.

Additionally, Starbucks published its first peer-reviewed scientific study in collaboration with the University of Costa Rica, examining the relationship between plant nutrition and volcanic soils to improve crop performance.

Starbucks expands financial support for small coffee farmers

The strategy also includes financial resources. The report confirms that Starbucks achieved another of its commitments by deploying $100 million through its Global Farmer Fund, a program that provides loans to small-scale coffee producers to renovate plantations, improve infrastructure, and invest in agricultural technologies.

In addition to financing, farmers receive technical assistance in:

• Regenerative agriculture.
• Soil management.
• Financial planning.
• Climate risk management.
• Business training.

The company notes that this program began more than two decades ago and that one of its first loans was granted to coffee farming cooperatives located in the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico.

Starbucks coffee advances sustainability standards

Another pillar of the strategy is strengthening responsible coffee sourcing. During fiscal year 2025, more than 99% of the coffee purchased by Starbucks came from supply chains verified under the Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices program, developed more than 20 years ago in partnership with Conservation International.

Today, nearly 400,000 coffee farms participate in this independent verification system, which evaluates coffee quality, labor conditions, traceability, environmental protection, and human rights.

Corporate strategy

The document also marks a significant shift in Starbucks’ corporate strategy. As part of its Back to Starbucks plan, the company has completely revised its environmental commitments and decided to focus on nine key priorities, including:

• Maintaining coffee sourcing under C.A.F.E. Practices standards.
• Distributing an additional 50 million climate-resilient coffee trees before 2040.
• Helping 100,000 coffee farmers adopt regenerative agriculture.
• Designing fully reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2030.
• Advancing toward deforestation-free supply chains for coffee and cocoa.

However, Starbucks also acknowledges that it is reevaluating its goal of reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 due to regulatory changes, evolving international standards, and other factors that could make achieving that target more challenging.

Starbucks’ future depends on the future of coffee

For Starbucks, protecting coffee is no longer just a corporate social responsibility initiative—it has become a business necessity.

The report concludes that the company’s long-term success will depend on its ability to strengthen farmers’ resilience, drive agricultural innovation, and build a supply chain capable of withstanding an increasingly extreme climate.

Through investments in scientific research, financing, regenerative agriculture, and the development of new coffee varieties, Starbucks aims to ensure that the crop at the heart of its business remains sustainable for future generations.