3.22.2006 ET

(CSRwire) SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2006--To commemorate World Water Day and raise awareness for the more than 1.1 billion people worldwide who lack access to clean drinking water, Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) through its Ethos(TM) Water brand is inviting partners (employees) and customers in 11 U.S. cities to take part in Walks for Water. Participants across the country will walk approximately three miles along a special route in each city and gain a greater understanding of the world water crisis. Walks for Water are intended to symbolize the difficult struggle that women and children in developing countries undertake on a daily basis to obtain drinking water for their families.

"Starbucks is committed to taking care of the world we live in, and is dedicated to becoming a leader in helping to provide clean drinking water to children and their communities around the world," said Jim Donald, Starbucks president and ceo. "Walks for Water will provide a unique opportunity to bring people together to acknowledge World Water Day and help get the word out about the world water crisis."

Walks for Water are free and open to the public and will take place in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Hartford, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Event details as well as information about World Water Day and the world water crisis are available online at www.worldwaterday2006.org.

In addition to hosting Walks for Water, Starbucks will further its goal of contributing at least US$10 million over the next five years (2006-2010) to non-profit organizations that are working to alleviate the world water crisis. The Company today announces new investments for water programs. These include:

-- Working through WaterAid, a US$1.12 million grant will help fund a three-year program with the goal of bringing water and sanitation to an estimated 38,500 people of Menge Woreda in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Western Ethiopia. This represents an expansion of the 2005 commitment from the Ethos Water Fund of The Starbucks Foundation, bringing the total investment to US$1.28 million over four years.

-- Working through Mercy Corps, a US$1 million grant from the Ethos Water Fund of The Starbucks Foundation will expand the reach of a school program to improve children's health and nutrition by fighting the prevalence of anemia and parasitic infections. This funding will enable Mercy Corps to complement these efforts over the next two years with programming in water, sanitation and hygiene education. The entire program is targeted to 170,000 children in 960 schools in four provinces of the Sumatra region in Indonesia.

Since August 2005, when Starbucks first announced the sale of Ethos(TM) Water in Starbucks U.S. Company-operated stores, more than US$250,000 worth of investments have contributed to the completion of six integrated and sustainable water programs around the world. These programs provide water access, adequate sanitation and hygiene education to communities in need in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Honduras, India and Kenya.

"We're thrilled about the progress we have made in helping children around the world get clean water. Now, through World Water Day, we can actively engage even more people to get involved and help," said Ethos co-founder Peter Thum.

"Starbucks is not only selling Ethos(TM) Water in its stores, but also has significantly increased Ethos' investment and awareness building capabilities and made an extraordinary commitment by ensuring that every bottle makes a difference," added Ethos co-founder Jonathan Greenblatt.

World Water Day

Designated by the UN General Assembly in 1993, World Water Day is intended to call attention to the world water crisis, a plight that affects nearly 20 percent of the world's total population(1) and is arguably the largest global public health issue of our time. Experts estimate that a child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related
disease.(2)

Because access to clean water is a basic, daily necessity, getting water is one of the most important and time-consuming responsibilities undertaken by millions of women and children around the world. Forty billion working hours are spent carrying water each year in Africa.(3)

In addition, the world water crisis is a major obstacle that inhibits progress on a wide range of other development issues related to improving human welfare, such as poverty alleviation, health care, education, and economic prosperity.

Ethos(TM) Water

Ethos(TM) Water, part of Starbucks Corporation brand portfolio, is the natural spring water that helps children around the world get clean water. The Company was founded in March 2002 and acquired by Starbucks in April 2005. For each bottle of Ethos(TM) Water purchased in Starbucks U.S. Company-operated stores, US$0.05 is contributed to the Ethos Water Fund of The Starbucks Foundation. These funds are contributed to non-profit organizations that are helping to alleviate the world water crisis.

Starbucks Coffee Company

Through the dedication of our passionate partners (employees), Starbucks Coffee Company has transformed the way people in 37 countries enjoy their coffee, one cup at a time. Starbucks is the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world, with more than 11,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. The Company is committed to offering its customers the highest quality coffee and human connection through the Starbucks Experience, while striving to improve the social, environmental and economic well being of its partners, coffee farmers, countries of coffee origin, and the communities which it serves.

Through Ethos Water, Starbucks demonstrates its long history of integrating a social conscience into all aspects of its business. The Company surprises and delights its customers by producing and selling bottled Starbucks Frappuccino(R) coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot(R) espresso drink and Starbucks(R) superpremium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships, and Starbucks(TM) Coffee and Cream Liqueurs through a marketing and distribution agreement, in other convenient locations outside its retail operations. The Company's brand portfolio includes superpremium Tazo(R) teas, Starbucks Hear Music(TM) compact discs, Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia. These brands' unique and innovative personalities allow Starbucks to appeal to a broad consumer base.

(1)www.Water.org "To Fetch a Pail of Water"

(2)WaterAid

(3)WaterPartners International

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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