6.23.2005 ET

(CSRwire) SEATTLE - Building on its ongoing global coffee sustainability commitment to coffee farms and cooperatives throughout the world, Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) and the African Wildlife Foundation today announced the launch of the "Coffee for Conservation" project, aimed at promoting coffee quality, environmental sustainability and natural resource conservation in East Africa.

This agreement for the three-year "Coffee for Conservation" project, which was announced at the Corporate Council on Africa's biannual US-Africa Business Summit in Baltimore, is a logical extension of Starbucks global coffee sustainability initiatives. The project will focus on providing training for farmers to produce high quality coffee and ensuring natural resource conservation in two East African countries. It will be launched in Kenya in the first year with plans to extend to other regions, such as Tanzania, in the following years.

"This partnership will benefit both the people and the wildlife of Africa," said Patrick Bergin, president, African Wildlife Foundation. "It is only when we work to find solutions that benefit both that conservation can be successful. We are extremely proud to be partnering with Starbucks."

The Starbucks and African Wildlife Foundation collaboration brings together a unique combination of international, regional and industry expertise in addressing issues facing coffee producers and the coffee industry in East Africa. With more than 45 years of experience in conservation and wildlife management in Africa, African Wildlife Foundation will lead and manage the project on the ground in Kenya. Starbucks primary roles will be to provide financial and technical support in terms of training and resources.

"Starbucks remains passionately committed to ensuring the success of coffee farms," said Dub Hay, senior vice president, Coffee and Global Procurement, Starbucks Coffee Company. "Together with the African Wildlife Foundation, we are very pleased to further expand our sustainability initiative to Kenya and Tanzania.

"With the local knowledge and expertise of the African Wildlife Foundation and Starbucks expertise in coffee quality, agronomy and socially responsible purchasing practices, we hope to positively impact the quantity and quality of coffee produced by selected cooperatives in Kenya and Tanzania," continued Hay. "We are pleased to have this opportunity to expand our efforts to enriching the livelihoods of coffee farmers in East Africa and throughout the world."

Starbucks commitment to coffee sustainability centers on building mutually beneficial relationships with coffee farmers and their communities. The Company firmly believes that success of the farmers with whom we do business is a critical component of our own success. Starbucks socially responsible purchasing practices include paying premium prices for the highest quality Arabica coffee, providing farmers with access to affordable credit, investing in social development projects, purchasing conservation and certified coffees (such as Fair Trade Certified™ and organic coffees), collaborating with farmers through the Starbucks Coffee Agronomy Company (Farmer Support Center) in Costa Rica and encouraging farmers and industry participation in C.A.F.E. Practices.

C.A.F.E. Practices (Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices) is a set of coffee buying guidelines designed to help coffee buyers and coffee farmers ensure the production of high-quality coffee, promote equitable relationships with farmers, workers and communities, and protect the environment

About African Wildlife Foundation
Founded in 1961, the African Wildlife Foundation is the leading conservation organization focused solely on the African continent. African Wildlife Foundation African Wildlife Foundation's programs and conservation strategies are based on sound science and designed to protect both the wild lands and wildlife of Africa and ensure a more sustainable future for Africa's people. Since its inception African Wildlife Foundation has protected endangered species and land, promoted partnerships with the private sector for ecotourism to benefit local African communities as a means to improve livelihoods, and trained hundreds of African nationals in conservation - all to ensure the survival of Africa's unparalleled wildlife heritage. African Wildlife Foundation is a non-profit organization with offices in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and is a registered 501(c)(3) in the United States.

About Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 9,000 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 the Starbucks Experience while conducting its business in ways that produce social, environmental and economic benefits for communities in which it does business. In addition to its retail operations, the Company produces and sells bottled Frappuccino® coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot® espresso drink, and a line of superpremium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships. The Company's brand portfolio provides a wide variety of consumer products. Tazo® Tea's line of innovative superpremium teas and Hear Music's™ exceptional compact discs enhance the Starbucks Experiencee through best-of-class products. The Seattle's Best Coffee® and Torrefazione Italia® coffee brands enable Starbucks to appeal to a broader consumer base by offering an alternative variety of coffee flavor profiles.

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