Starbucks Delays Ethiopian Coffee Research Center

(March 9 By Jason McLure, Bloomberg) — Starbucks Corp. put on hold plans to build a coffee research center in Ethiopia because of the slowing global economy, Capital said, citing Vivek Varma, a spokesman for the company, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Starbucks’ then chairman and current Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz said during a visit to Ethiopia in November 2007 that the company would open a research center to improve the quality of Ethiopian coffee, the Addis Ababa-based newspaper said. A similar facility in Rwanda has also been put on ice, Capital said.

In June 2007, Starbucks and Ethiopia ended a dispute over the Horn of Africa nation’s efforts to gain U.S. trademarks for three of its most popular coffees. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.