(Bloomberg) -- The head of Starbucks Corp.’s coffee trading arm, Tim Scharrer, has left the company, at least the third executive to depart in the last month, according to a memo viewed by Bloomberg.

In the interim, Andres Berron has been appointed to lead trading, quality operations, transportation, and Yunnan Support Center teams, the memo said. Scharrer, who left the company on Oct. 14, lead Starbucks Coffee Trading Co.’s operations out of Lausanne, Switzerland, for four years. 

The chain, which has said that Laxman Narasimhan will take over as CEO starting in April, has been battling its baristas who are attempting to unionize in some US locations. Starbucks is also facing higher costs related to labor and wages, along with key commodities including coffee. While arabica beans have fallen 21% this year, the price is still up almost 70% in the past two years amid tight world supplies and rising production costs.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said Scharrer made the decision to accept another opportunity. Scharrer didn’t respond to a call for comment. 

The move marks yet another executive change since long-time leader Howard Schultz returned to the helm earlier this year. Along with the Scharrer departure, others have left the Seattle-based company recently. Earlier this month, Starbucks’ longest-serving board member Javier Teruel resigned as a director. Chief Operating Officer John Culver also left this month, and his position will be eliminated. The chain’s global supply-chain chief George Dowdie also announced he will step down at the end of the year. The company is currently looking for a replacement.  

Starbucks, the world’s biggest coffee-shop operator, has about 35,000 locations globally.

(Updates with departure date for supply-chain chief in the fifth papragraph. An earlier version of this story corrected which position was slated for elimination.)

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.