Ricardo Villanueva, president of Guatemala's Coffee Association (Anacafé), speculated that the North American company, which usually purchases a quarter of the country's production, might be dropping Guatemala's high-priced beans in favor of cheaper origins.

"Carlos Vargas, the financial manager of the Costa Rican coffee cooperative Coopetarrazu, said Starbucks was driving a harder bargain with producers this year, perhaps because high inventories give it room to maneuver", reported Reuters.com.

Source: Reuters