WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) (NASDAQ: GMCR) today announced that another one of its best-selling coffees, Green Mountain Coffee® Nantucket Blend®, is now 100-percent Fair Trade Certified™. This conversion will represent approximately five million pounds of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee for fiscal year 2013 and will deliver an estimated $1 million in fair trade social premiums to coffee farmers annually.
Purchasing Green Mountain Coffee® Fair Trade Certified™ varieties helps farmers receive a fair price for their beans, resulting in quality coffee and a higher quality of life in coffee-farming communities. Beans for Nantucket Blend® are sourced from carefully-selected Fair Trade Certified™ coffee farms in Central America, South America, Africa, and Indonesia. The Nantucket Blend® conversion is the latest step in the Green Mountain Coffee® brand’s continued support of fair trade.
In 2000, GMCR became one of the first roasters in the United States to offer Fair Trade Certified™ coffees, and in 2012, the company was named the world's largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee by Fair Trade USA for the second year in a row.
“Converting our Nantucket Blend now allows us to bring more Green Mountain Coffee fair trade varieties to a larger consumer base than ever before,” said Lindsey Bolger, Senior Director of Coffee for the Specialty Coffee business unit of GMCR. “We’re proud to be able to maintain the taste and quality of one of our most popular coffees while significantly changing the impact its existence will have around the world.”
The conversion of all Nantucket Blend® coffee sold in bags, K-Cup® and Vue® packs to Fair Trade Certified™ was completed in January 2013. The brand’s Brew Over Ice Nantucket Blend® Iced Coffee will be converted by May 2013, making it the first Fair Trade Certified™ Brew Over Ice beverage offered for the Keurig® K-Cup® and Vue® brewing systems.
Green Mountain Coffee® Nantucket Blend® is a complex blend that weaves three exotic and delicious coffee-attributes together – winey, berry tones from East Africa, deep, full-bodied flavor from Indonesia, and zesty and bright flavors from the Americas. Nantucket Blend® is currently available in 12-count, 18-count, 24-count and 80-count K-Cup® pack boxes, in 12 oz. ground coffee bags, and 16-count Vue® pack boxes. With the fair trade conversion, prices will remain the same for consumers, as will the available varieties and formats.
Today, the Green Mountain Coffee® brand is available in supermarkets, retail stores, convenience stores, restaurants, offices, and foodservice locations around the country and at www.GreenMountainCoffee.com.
For more information on the benefits of fair trade coffee, Nantucket Blend® or other Green Mountain Coffee® varieties, visit www.GreenMountainCoffee.com. To join the conversation, visit Facebook.com/GreenMountainCoffee or follow @GreenMtnCoffee on Twitter.
About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
As a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) (NASDAQ: GMCR) is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices. GMCR supports local and global communities, investing in sustainably-grown coffee and allocating a portion of its pre-tax profits to socially and environmentally responsible initiatives. For more information, please visit www.GMCR.com, www.greenmountaincoffee.com, or www.keurig.com.
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Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this release, including statements concerning expected performance such as those relating to net sales, earnings, cost savings, acquisitions and brand marketing support, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Generally, these statements may be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "would," "expect," "should," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "forecast," "intend," "plan" and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements may relate to: the expected impact of raw material costs and our pricing actions on our results of operations and gross margins, expected trends in net sales and earnings performance and other financial measures, the expected productivity and working capital improvements, the ability to maximize or successfully assert our intellectual property rights, the success of introducing and producing new product offerings, ability to attract and retain senior management, the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, the adequacy of internally generated funds and existing sources of liquidity, such as the availability of bank financing, the expected results of operations of businesses acquired by us, our ability to issue debt or additional equity securities, our expectations regarding purchasing shares of our common stock under the existing authorizations, and the impact of the inquiry initiated by the SEC and any related litigation or additional governmental inquiry or enforcement proceedings.
These and other forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results. Results may be materially affected by external factors such as damage to our reputation or brand name, business interruptions due to natural disasters or similar unexpected events, actions of competitors, customer relationships and financial condition, the ability to achieve expected cost savings and margin improvements, the successful acquisition and integration of new businesses, fluctuations in the cost and availability of raw and packaging materials, changes in regulatory requirements, and global economic conditions generally which would include the availability of financing, interest, inflation rates and investment return on retirement plan assets, as well as foreign currency fluctuations, risks associated with our information technology systems, the threat of data breaches or cyber-attacks, and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly, any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
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