Howard Schultz says Starbucks may have already hit bottom

Howard Schultz says coffee chain has seen slight improvement in October. Also, Starbucks announces partnership with Red organization to eliminate AIDS in Africa.

By Melissa Allison

Seattle Times business reporter

Starbucks' business may have bottomed in the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, chief executive Howard Schultz told reporters during the company's leadership conference in New Orleans, Reuters reported today.

"The downturn continued in the fourth quarter, and we did see a slight improvement in the first weeks of Q1 ... which might suggest that Starbucks may have hit bottom in terms of negative transactions in our fourth quarter," Schultz said.

Compared to other companies, he said, Starbucks appears to have been early to respond to the new economic realities. Earlier this year, it cut 1,000 support jobs and announced the closure of 600 underperforming U.S. stores and 61 stores in Australia.

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Coffee stimulates political thinking

Coffee not only tastes good, it stimulates your brain. History tells us that coffee houses in 17th century England were known for their lively political discussions. HISTORY

I don't frequent enough coffee houses to know if that tradition of political discussion is still followed, but there is a website you may visit that will stimulate your brain in a political sense, Nanny State.

Just be sure to have a cup of coffee while you're visiting.

Robert

McDonald's stores in Denver ready to battle Starbucks

By Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News

McDonald's, already the nation's biggest hamburger chain, is escalating its simmering breakfast battle with Starbucks as it rolls out espresso drinks at all 110 Denver-area locations next week.

McDonald's is overhauling all of its restaurants in the region to include a McCafe that serves a premium line of iced and hot lattes, cappuccinos and mochas. Denver stores will officially begin serving the coffee drinks on Wednesday, relatively early on in the restaurant chain's national rollout, which started this summer. Some 3,500 of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. stores offer the premium coffee drinks.

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Starbucks says it will double its buying of ‘fair-trade’ coffee

Phoenix Business Journal - by Puget Sound Business Journal

Starbucks Corp. said it will double its purchases of “fair trade-certified” coffee to 40 million pounds next year.

Officials at the Seattle coffee giant said it will be the largest purchaser of fair-trade coffee in the world.

The announcement was made in conjunction with Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International, which is a nonprofit group that develops standards that fair-trade producers must meet.

“By doubling our commitment to fair trade certified and scaling up our global partnership, we have a unique opportunity to further reinforce our ongoing efforts to benefit farmers and communities,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks (Nasdaq:SBUX) CEO, in a statement.

Fair-trade principles involve labor conditions, community development, democratic decision-making, pricing and environmental sustainability.

Fatboy Coffee now offers Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Fatboy coffee is now offering Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Roasting notes: City roast style to get tea rose and black currant undertones according to Fatboy's recent twit on twitter.com. Purchases can be made through Fatboy's website 24/7.