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245 This book is my first. It was fun, and it was hell; but without a lot of help from a lot of people, it would have been no fun at all. The book started out as a small article, “The Starbucks Paradox,” in ColorLines, a magazine published by the Applied Research Center. My running buddies at ARC are an inspiration. Francis Calpotura, Rinku Sen, Sonia Peña, and Gina Acebo are the best of companions at the intersection of the personal and the political. Thanks also to Tram Nguyen and to Gary Delgado, who provoked my thinking and provided space and time to write. Without Harold Simon at the National Housing Institute, this book would be an abandoned project in my desk drawer. After I suffered early setbacks, Harold called me up and urged me on. He hooked me up with Rutgers University Press and provided some much-needed institutional support. Even though he didn’t know me well, he was a true movement colleague when I needed one. Marlie Wasserman at Rutgers University Press has been the best of editors—kind, direct, and so smart. I’m lucky my work fell into her hands. One of Marlie’s many skills is assembling a great team, as she has done at the press. Christina Brianik, Alicia Nadkarni, Elizabeth Scarpelli, and Jeremy Wang-Iverson, among others, coddled me and my manuscript. I was also lucky to be assigned poet Dawn Potter as my copy editor. Her wise and ruthless scrutiny improved the book, and her empathy and humor eased the process. I also owe a ton to my intrepid volunteer researcher and reader Stephen A. Wood. Because I had neither a university affiliation nor money, Steve’s participation was a true gift. His sharp eyes and sharper mind honed my thinking and my prose. And thanks to Beverly Bell, who sent him my way. Acknowledgments Special appreciation to Andy Stern at the Service Employees and Medea Benjamin at Global Exchange for their perspectives and analyses. The work they do makes our world a better place. They don’t give up, and that gives me hope. At Starbucks, I’m especially grateful to Audrey Lincoff, who was director of media relations when I started this project, and to Lara Wyss in the media relations department. They are superb professionals, but they also embody all the employee attributes listed in the Starbucks Green Book: they are welcoming , genuine, knowledgeable, considerate, and involved. In addition, I received help from Megan Behrbaum in the project’s early phases, from Valerie O’Neil and Tara Darrow in the final phase, and from Kenny Fried in Washington, D.C. Tawana Green, former manager of my local Starbucks, was one of the first people I interviewed and remains one of my favorites. She and a succession of staff members at the Eastern Market store tolerated me and my questions with openness , generosity, and warmth. They are among the slew of Starbucks people I interviewed for this book. I appreciate them all, and many are listed in the source notes, but special thanks must go to Howard Schultz, who took time, several times over, to share his unique insights and sharpen mine. I say some tough things about Starbucks, but there’s also much to admire. He has created a remarkable company. I’m also indebted to Dub Hay and Sandra Taylor, whom I pestered more than once. And a plaudit to the folks at the Starbucks Agronomy Center in Costa Rica for their hospitality and their knowledge, especially Peter Torribiarte, Jessie Cuevas, and Carlos Mario Rodriguez. The folks at Fedecocagua in Guatemala, especially Gerardo Alberto De León, Ulrich Gurtner, Onelia Fernandez, and Adolfo Monterroso, eased my journey and facilitated my research in many ways, even though they didn’t know me and had no idea what I might write. Betty Hannstein Adams, the Guzmáns, and especially Fernando Fahsen were also generous in candidly sharing their experiences and making me feel welcome. And in Costa Rica, I was lucky to meet Rodolfo Murillo Bogantes and his family, one of those connections that adds magic to a journey. Stefan Wille and Konrad Brits provided coffee trading tutorials, along with astute insights and a sense of humor. Seth Petchers, Jim Reynolds, and Paul Rice were also especially helpful. Robert Goodier at Rainforest Alliance in Costa Rica helped me, journalist to journalist, even though I was no more than a voice at the other end of the phone line...

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