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Gloria Jean's Coffees Steps Up Commitment to Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee |
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, Aug. 9 -/E-Wire/-- Australian-owned Gloria Jean's Coffees, one of the world's fastest growing specialty coffee retailers, announced this week that it will significantly increase the amount of coffee it purchases from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms to nearly 3.9 million pounds (1,750 metric tons) this year. The increase in beans purchased by the company translates into tremendous benefits for farming communities in Latin America, where the coffee is produced.
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"Gloria Jean's announcement demonstrates the depth of the company's commitment to sustainable coffee," said Sabrina Vigilante, Rainforest Alliance senior marketing manager. "I have seen growing interest on the part of both companies and consumers in Australia. They understand how their purchases of certified coffee can have huge environmental and social benefits for coffee growing communities."
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Gloria Jean's Coffees' announcement was made during Vigilante's week-long tour in Australia during which she was accompanied by andAacute lvaro Reyes, the owner of a certified farm in Nicaragua that sells coffee to the company. Within a year of earning certification, Reyes bought a new water-saving ecological coffee mill and created a composting process for the pulp from the unused coffee berries, which is often discarded on other farms, to use as fertilizer. Reyes has also reduced his agrochemical use and protects nearly one-third of his property, 143 acres (57 hectares), as a forest reserve.
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"For 15 years, I did the same thing on my farm, and I did it well," Reyes said. "But it had become routine. Since certification, I feel challenged every day, and I like it."
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The purchase by Gloria Jean's is an increase of more than 700 percent from 2006, when the company bought more than 450,000 pounds (more than 207 metric tons) of certified coffee. Moreover, the company said it would continue to increase its commitment to the Rainforest Alliance by planning to source up to 80 percent of its total coffee supply, or more than 5.5 million pounds (more than 2,500 metric tons) annually, from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms within the next three years.
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"We're delighted to increase our commitment to the Rainforest Alliance and lead its presence in the Australian market and the additional 50 international markets in which Gloria Jean's Coffees has master franchisees," said Nabi Saleh, executive chairman of Gloria Jean's Coffees. "We truly believe in their mission and holistic approach to protecting our ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them. This partnership supports our strategy to build a business that is responsible and contributes to the benefit of others, from the people and environments that produce our coffee, to the people who enjoy our coffee."
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Gloria Jean's Coffees began its association with the Rainforest Alliance in 2004, buying and roasting its first bags of beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in April 2005. In 2006, 15 to 20 percent of the company's total coffee came from certified farms. Gloria Jean's Coffees currently buys beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Nicaragua, Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica. The coffee is used in 18 different Gloria Jean's Coffee blends, including all its flavored coffees. Starting in mid-2008, its signature espresso blend served in stores worldwide will also use beans from certified farms.
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Farms earn certification by meeting a holistic set of environmental, social and economic standards that are focused on sustainable farm management and include ecosystem conservation, wildlife protection, dignified working and living conditions, healthcare, and education for farm children, among other things.
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Other companies that offer certified sustainable coffee include: Kraft Foods, Caribou Coffee, First Choice, Procter and Gamble, Tchibo, Lavazza, Royal Cup and Bolling Coffee. The United Nations Development Programme - Global Environment Facility and the US Agency for International Development support the Rainforest Alliance's sustainable coffee initiatives. Contact Info:
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Gretchen Ruethling
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Tel : 646-452-1939
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E-mail : gruethling@ra.org Website : the Rainforest Alliance
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/SOURCE:
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the Rainforest Alliance |
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08-09-2007 |
/CONTACT:
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Gretchen Ruethling
Tel : 646-452-1939
E-mail : gruethling@ra.org |
| /WEB SITE: |
http://www.ra.org
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