Starbucks does not know when it will open a support center for coffee farmers in Ethiopia that was scheduled to open last year, according to spokeswoman Deb Trevino.
The economic slowdown, along with delays in opening a more regionally-focused center in Rwanda last year, have “made it challenging for us to move as quickly as we would like,” she said in an e-mail. “We remain committed to opening a Farmer Support Center in Addis, but do not have an opening date to announce at this time.”
The delay was originally reported by the Ethiopian news site Capital, which cited Starbucks’ head of public relations, Vivek Varma, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
When Starbucks announced plans for the support centers in Ethiopia and Rwanda in late 2007, both were scheduled to open in 2008.