Scary Dairy: Switch4Good's Starbucks Campaign 'Terrorized' Laxman

We were in the heart of Seattle to witness firsthand the Switch4Good campaign featuring billboards spreading awareness of Starbucks leadership changing their climate goals and price gouging customers with their dairy-free milk upcharge.

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, we learned from those close to him and various shift managers at local Starbucks locations, did not have a very good day.

In a significant development, the Starbucks CEO expressed "immense frustration and rage" over the latest campaign launched by Switch4Good and vegan Olympian Dotsie Bausch. The campaign, which calls for Starbucks to eliminate the upcharge on dairy-free milk and cease what it alleges as greenwashing practices, has sparked controversy and "full-on hysteria" within the coffee giant's leadership.

Narasimhan, whose photo was included in the Switch4Good billboards, was reportedly angered by the explosive reveal from a corporate whistleblower and leveled against Starbucks leadership in general. Switch4Good's campaign asserts that Starbucks unfairly and disproportionately penalizes customers of color opting for dairy alternatives and misleads consumers about its environmental commitments.

The CEO's reaction underscores Starbucks' sensitivity to criticism regarding its environmental policies and consumer practices. While Narasimhan still has not directly addressed the specific demands of the campaign, his alleged remarks (and the fact that his anger has been gossiped about by countless baristas with whom we spoke) signals a readiness for stakeholders to demand progressive actions on these important issues.

Switch4Good's campaign in Seattle has yet to elicit an official response from Starbucks' leadership beyond the internal rumblings that are leaking out from Starbucks baristas and shift managers. As for the Seattle public, we await further developments as Starbucks navigates the intersection of consumer activism, environmental responsibility, and corporate strategy.