Starbucks proves its commitment to communities and after introducing the ‘Create jobs for USA’ initiative, it presents a new community model in the neighborhoods of Harlem, New York and Crenshaw, Los Angeles. These organizations will share in the profits of a store in each community. Each organization will receive a minimum of $100,000 from Starbucks for the first year of the partnership.

The number of American companies supporting small businesses in their country is growing—Facebook, American Express, Google and Dell to name but a few are now joined by Starbucks, which has teamed up with Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) to launch Create Jobs for USA, an initiative that encourages consumers to donate money, which will be used to strengthen community business nationwide.

Starbucks wants its coffee to be available in all countries of the world, to all people, but this requires not only opening new chain stores, but also offering equal purchasing opportunities to all customers. For visually impaired consumers, the coffee giant has released its Fall 2011 card featuring the word ‘Starbucks’ in Braille, which is now available in participating Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada for a limited time and can be also purchased online at StarbucksStore.com while supplies last.

The Italian coffee brand illy, which infuses coffee with art in its bespoke Art Collection, is extending the range of artist cups and saucers with a new limited-edition piece, created by celebrated Bombay-born sculptor Anish Kapoor, who’s been living in London for 40 years. The artist, known for his giant projects such as his huge Leviathan intallation in Paris or Cloud Gate in Chicago, this time switched to tiny sizes, but still applied his unparalleled approach and signature style to designing the cup. Just like most of his creations, the new illy coffeeware has a metallic touch and is dedicated to blending emptiness/fullness and external/ internal in one piece.

To bolster Lipton’s position as an innovative leader in the premium fresh brewed iced tea market, Moxie TM, the international brand design and development firm, reinvigorated the Lipton Fresh Brewed Iced Tea brand for the food service industry in the USA. The brand platform provides a new visual language and voice that speaks to both consumers and operators, effectively serving as a game changer in the category while also introducing supporting creative for One-Step Prep Zero Calorie Fresh Brewed Sweet Teas.