The agreement was the first instance when Starbucks decided to source coffee from anyplace other than South America and Indonesia. Tata had met all the stringent standards and conditions followed by Starbucks such as quality, soil, water, pest, waste and energy management, forest and biodiversity conservation to workers’ welfare, wages and benefits, living conditions, health, safety, etc. Hamid Ashraff, managing director, Tata Coffee, said, “Starbucks deal with Tata Coffee is yet another significant milestone to show how Indian coffee is gaining acceptance in the international market.”