Michelle Burns

Executive Vice President of Global Coffee & Sustainability, Starbucks

Search every verified Michelle Burns interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Michelle Burns, Executive Vice President of Global Coffee & Sustainability at Starbucks, spoke at the XXIII Seminário Internacional de Café in Brazil on May 11, 2022. She expressed optimism about the future of coffee, noting that global consumption is outpacing global production and that Starbucks stores currently have more demand than they can supply. Burns stated that the company's ambition is to reach 50,000 stores over the next 10 years, requiring a consistent supply of high-quality coffee. She emphasized the importance of Brazil's role in sharing best practices with the rest of the world to support global coffee production. Burns discussed Starbucks' sustainability efforts, including work at its research and development hub in Costa Rica on tree varietal and breeding programs. She mentioned that the company has around 70 model farms globally and over 400 promising coffee lines. In response to a question, Burns said that work on pollination and reducing water usage and carbon footprint is in its infancy, with best practices still being developed for different regions.