Student backlash after Kent uni starts serving Starbucks coffee

Students say they are “disappointed” after the University of Kent started selling Starbucks coffee amid concerns over “ethical and political issues associated with the brand”.

However, despite the cafe looking like a Starbucks and serving the company’s drinks, uni bosses stress they are “not working in collaboration with Starbucks” directly.

Kent Students’ Union (KSU), the official representative body for University of Kent students, has announced its displeasure at the coffee giant coming to the Canterbury campus.

“We are disappointed both by the decision itself and the lack of engagement with the union and the wider student body,” a KSU Instagram post read.

It continued: “Had we been consulted, we would have highlighted concerns raised by many students regarding ethical and political issues associated with the brand, sustainability and transparency in Starbucks’ supply chains, and affordability, particularly given the financial pressures facing students.

“This decision reflects a missed opportunity to explore alternatives that align more closely with student values and priorities.”

The cafe is in the university’s Sibson building and its staff are employed by catering firm Chartwells Universities.

The “issues associated with” Starbucks include a controversy which followed the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict two years ago.

On October 9, 2023, two days after Hamas attacked Israel, the union Starbucks Workers United reposted on X an image of a bulldozer tearing down part of the Israel-Gaza border fence, with the caption “Solidarity with Palestine!”. The post was deleted about 40 minutes later.

Starbucks subsequently sued Workers United, alleging trademark infringement over the union’s use of the name Starbucks Workers United and a green circular logo resembling Starbucks’ own branding. The company claims some people believed the message came from Starbucks itself, and that it prompted more than 1,000 complaints.

Even before this incident, the company had been criticised in the US for what critics describe as union-busting practices.

A uni spokesperson stressed the cafe is not part of a franchise.

“The coffee bean is supplied by Nestle and the staff are Chartwells employees not Starbucks employees, working under University/Chartwells’ terms, conditions and receive Chartwells staff benefits,” they said.

“This outlet is subject to the university’s high sustainability and ethical working standards.”

They said they will continue to engage with KSU and students to address their concerns.

“Throughout the process of exploring the future of our catering provision, we worked hard to ensure that our key stakeholders, including KSU, were engaged,” they said.

The spokesperson added that there are numerous other places to purchase coffee on the campus, “including Social Impact Coffee, local provider Garage Coffee as well as the Library Café and Caffè Nero.”