Chai (“Chai Tea”)

Chai is produced from a variety of spices depending on where it is being made and the company producing it.

The supply chain is dependent on where individual companies get their spices from and can be from over seas or at home. Starbucks’ chai ingredients are “globally sourced” according to Tazo.

The power balance with Chai rests more in its creation than in current production. It came about due to the British exerting colonial power over India to firstly reduce the cost of tea for British and later to change the culture in India to profit from selling more tea back to the locals.

The best change that could occur currently would for companies like Starbucks to be more transparent about exactly where their ingredients are coming from and not simply stating “globally” in order to ensure transparency and accountability.

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