Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harrar

(without realizing it, Starbucks users begin thirsting for a grande upon reading these words)

Wine aficionados know Champagne, Bordeaux, and Alsace - they're all French wines, and regions of France.

The three names in the title share this dual identity crisis. Starbucks uses these three names for its Ethiopian coffees. They are also places in Ethiopia. The most significant of the three (in terms of population) is Harrar.

(disclaimer: I'm no anti-globalization nutjob trying to get you to sign a petition. Seriously, this just interests me as an intersection of commerce, geography, and food.) I learned from Oxfam America about Ethiopia's attempt to protect the trademark on these place names. Starbucks opposes this plan and wants the ability to brand its coffee without paying for the naming rights.

Personally, I believe that if a product can only be produced genuinely in one place (like French wines, Cuban cigars, or African coffee) then distributors should play fair with the producers. Starbucks is hardly the 'evil empire,' they're just trying to make a few more pennies on each cup of hot Ethiopian coffee that passes over their counters. Ethiopia's plan to retain the trademark makes financial sense for an impoverished nation where coffee is a key commodity ('providing 65%-75% of Ethiopia's foreign exchange earnings').

ps. thanks to Co-op America for the email.