Starbucks to sell Thai's local brew

Starbucks to sell Thai's local brew

BANGKOK: The U.S.-based coffee giant Starbucks plans to introduce
a new brew in Thailand that offers local flavor - and economic
support for Thai farmers who are supplying the beans, a
spokeswoman said Friday.

As part of a campaign called Commitment to Origins, Starbucks
will launch a blend on Monday called Muan Jai, or "wholehearted
happiness," said the company's marketing and communications
director Sumonpin Jotikabukkana.

The company buys Arabica coffee beans for the blend from
farmers in Huay Hom, a small village in Mae Hong Son province,
650 kilometers (400 miles) north of Bangkok.

The company has already purchased three tons of the beans at
US$1.26 per pound, or about six cents more per pound than the
amount usually paid for beans, she added.

Starbucks will charge customers 50 baht ($1.19) for a tall
size brew of Muan Jai and 70 baht ($1.67) for a grande. It will
be sold only in Thailand.--AP