# Starbucks Cafe Practices
> C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices is Starbucks' cornerstone ethical sourcing verification program, launched in 2004 in collaboration with Conservation International. It measures farms against economic, social, and environmental criteria to promote transparent, profitable, and sustainable coffee growing practices, while protecting the well-being of coffee farmers and their communities. The program includes over 200 indicators and third-party verification by SCS Global Services.
- URL: https://optimly.ai/brand/starbucks-cafe-practices
- Logo: https://logo.clearbit.com/starbucks.com
- Slug: starbucks-cafe-practices
- BAI Score: 54/100
- Archetype: Incumbent
- Category: Corporate Social Responsibility
- Last Analyzed: August 9, 2026
## Buyer Intent Signals
Problems: Direct, unstructured farm audits: Starbucks could conduct individual, ad-hoc assessments of farms without a standardized, formalized program like C.A.F.E. Practices, leading to inconsistent standards  | Outsource to third-party consultants/NGOs: Instead of developing an internal program, Starbucks could rely entirely on external sustainability consultants or NGOs to manage its ethical sourcing effort | No dedicated ethical sourcing program: Starbucks could choose not to implement any specific ethical sourcing program beyond basic regulatory compliance, which would likely lead to reputational damage 
Solutions: Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices | Starbucks ethical coffee sourcing | C.A.F.E. Practices standards | Exclusively use existing third-party certifications: Starbucks could opt to exclusively source coffee certified by established external programs like Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance, rather than dev