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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
4.30.2008 - 04:00pm ET
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Counter Culture Coffee Signs Ethiopian Fine Trademarking and Licensing Agreement
(CSRwire) Washington, DC (April 30, 2008) - Durham, NC-based Counter Culture Coffee,
which upholds its motto - Coffee Driven People - People Driven
Coffee - has committed to foster the promotion of Ethiopia's fine
coffees by becoming a licensed distributor of the country's trademarked
coffees.
The company's Director of Coffee and co-owner Peter Giuliano said,
"Counter Culture Coffee is grateful to the country of Ethiopia for coffee
- Ethiopia’s gift to the world. We proudly support Ethiopia in using its
wonderful coffees, the best in the world, to help eliminate poverty and
enrich the lives of coffee farmers."
Congratulating the company as he signed the licensing agreement, the
Ethiopian ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Samuel Assefa stated,
"I am genuinely pleased to see that an industry trend setter
such as Counter Culture Coffee has joined the network of licensed
distributors of Ethiopia's marked coffees." He added, "I am hopeful that
Counter Culture Coffee's principled stand in supporting the improvement of
the coffee farmers' standard of living through commensurate profit sharing
will add a powerful voice to analogous voices of pioneer licensees."
An extensive mobilization and public awareness outreach program is
underway across the many coffee growing regions of Ethiopia to heighten
interest and participation in the Initiative. At the same time,
licensed distribution in Ethiopia's major fine coffee export markets is
expanding to include coffee brokers, roasters, and retailers.
Currently there are 23 licensed distributors and about 45 companies in
active dialogue with Ethiopia. The long term target is to license 150-200
critical players in the fine coffee industry worldwide. Extensive consumer
awareness resulting from the Oxfam campaign last year has been effective in
fueling the licensing efforts of Ethiopia, as patrons ask that their coffee
companies support Ethiopia in its endeavor to improve the livelihood of
millions of farmers across the country.
Ethiopia is posed to have an excellent chance at the 2008 Specialty Coffee
Association of America's (SCAA) 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition, May 2
- 5, in Minneapolis, MN, to showcase its Fine
Coffees Initiative and their brands, as well as its rich heritage,
history, and culture as it has been selected by the SCAA to be the first
African Portrait Country during the 2008 conference, which carries the
theme of "Roots," and identifies Ethiopia as the undisputed origin of
coffee.
Notes:
The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) is spearheading the
Ethiopian Trademarking and Licensing Initiative
The Initiative has financial support from the UK's Department for
International Development, and advice and training from Washington DC
based NGO Light Years IP, but no funding directly from coffee companies.
The EIPO and law firm Arnold and Porter have secured Trademarks in 28+
countries to date. In the US a Trademark for Yirgacheffe has been secured
and the two others are still being sought despite opposition.
More information on the Initiative and who is supporting it is
available on the dedicated website
www.ethiopiancoffeenetwork.com
For more insights into Ethiopian coffee farmers’ lives and the way
the coffee market works see also www.blackgoldmovie.com
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