Corporate Social Responsibility
Keurig Green Mountain was formerly known as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). The company was founded way back in 1981 and it is among the most established coffeemakers in the USA (Lee, 2015). It specifically produces and sources for high quality coffee, tea, cocoa, as well as other beverages under different brands. Moreover, it also sells ground coffee and coffee beans in bags and fractional packages. Its signature packaging however, is the K-Cup single pods.
It is only fair that a company as big as Keurig Green Mountain to give back to the community. The company believes that everybody requires access to clean water for both domestic use, agriculture, and of course for drinking. Keurig acts upon creating opportunity to clean water for communities that are in need. For every beverage made by Keurig, the company will restore the same volume of water, through different projects such as enhancing watersheds, conserving water, and protecting habitats (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., n.d.). Generally, Keurig has addressed the water problems and have even planned for future changes in the climate.
Also, as a CSR, the company is reaching out to the coffee communities. It is true to say that as coffeemakers, they probably understand these particular communities best. The opportunities and challenges in the coffee communities are interconnected and complex. The company has wholly dedicated itself to improving the resilience and livelihoods of these communities so that they can be productive even in the toughest of seasons (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., n.d.). They are doing this by improving the farming techniques of the coffee farmers and strengthening them by funding coffee farming organizations in the communities. Keurig’s major strategic goals are focused on three areas: innovation of sustainable products, resilient supply chain, and further supporting the striving people and communities. Their CSR activities are complementing these goals. The water and community development programs are aimed at giving out to the society as well as help the coffee industry strive in quality and quantity.
Keurig’s major competitor in the coffee-making industry is Starbucks. Starbucks also has a positive impact on the communities that it works with by establishing community stores that directly partner with local nonprofit organizations. These nonprofits are very effective in working on the different problems within the local communities. Furthermore, as part of its CSR campaign, Starbucks donates $0.05 to $0.15 per transaction made to these nonprofit partners (Kimball, 2016). The company has gone further to ensure that the coffee, cocoa, tea, as well as manufactured goods are ethically and responsibly produced and acquired. Therefore, they treat their coffee farming communities with respect and pay them considerably in an ethical treatment. It is without a doubt that Starbucks is more verbal and vibrant than Keurig Green Mountain in their CSR campaigns.
Some strategic recommendations that Keurig Green Mountain may implement to remain relevant in their CSR include: creating opportunities through education, training, as well as employment, encouraging the service and citizenship in the country, and base their campaigns to focus more on eco-friendliness. Education and employment are critical issues in the country and it is sad to say that some communities are diminishing because of these issues. Therefore, Keurig can take the wheel and help these communities come out of their misery by creating more opportunities. Keurig as an American company should take pride and show their patriotism, for instancing, creating veteran-related campaigns. Americans truly appreciate patriotism and togetherness; therefore this will come a long way in promoting Keurig Green Mountain as a brand. What is more, the world is becoming more and more concerned about the environment because of occurrence such as global warming. Keurig should take the initiative and promote the eco-friendliness by adopting methods that will not harm the environment and, more importantly, they should urge other companies in other industries to do the same.
References
Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. (n.d.). Sustainability - Corporate Social Responsibilty. Retrieved from http://www.keuriggreenmountain.com/en/Sustainability/Overview.aspx
Kimball, D. (2016). Corporate Social Responsibility at Starbucks: 2016–2017 Issues for Discussion. doi:10.4135/9781473972261
Lee, L. (2015). Case Study #3: Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR) in 2011. Turn to the Dark Side of Trading, 145-152. doi:10.1002/9781118971000.ch7
