In November 2001, Starbucks Coffee Company introduced green coffee purchasing guidelines that reward performance in several environmental and social categories, and enable suppliers to qualify as a Starbucks preferred supplier . The guidelines were developed in partnership with Conservation International's Center for Environmental Leadership in Business.

During the two-year pilot phase, Starbucks tested and assessed the effectiveness of the program. In preparations for the formal introduction of the program, Starbucks contracted Scientific Certification Systems to further refine the program so that the guidelines and application instructions were clear and included fully defined, consistent and verifiable standards for high quality sustainable coffee production. The guidelines and supporting documents are the result of evaluating and assessing the input gained from the pilot period. The C.A.F.E. Practices Evaluation Guidelines will be used in concert with a verifier's manual and other C.A.F.E. Practices components.

The C.A.F.E. Practices Evaluation Guidelines are comprised of a set of 26 criteria spanning a total of 12 Principles, which in turn are organized into 5 Subject Areas (Product Quality, Economic Accountability, Environmental Leadership - Coffee Growing, Environmental Leadership - Coffee Processing, and Social Responsibility). Collectively, these criteria/principles/subject areas define the socio-environmental-economic-quality aspects of coffee growing, processing and trading that Starbucks wishes to consider when deciding which coffee vendors it prefers to do business with. Increasingly, Starbucks is wholeheartedly committed to making a positive difference in the lives of farmers and their communities promoting the sustainability of coffee production. In pursuit of this goal, Starbucks will increase the amount of independently verified sustainable coffee purchased from suppliers who successfully implement the C.A.F.E. Practices guidelines.