VERMONT ROASTERS JOIN ON HOLIDAY DONATION

The Vermont Coffee Company and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters are teaming up to provide fresh-roasted coffee to Vermont families in need via the Vermont Foodbank during the holiday season.

The Vermont Coffee Company has provided 8,000 pounds of green coffee from its sister farm, Cafe Alta Gracia, in the Dominican Republic.  Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will roast, grind, and package the coffee – half in November for Thanksgiving and half in December for the holidays.  The Vermont Foodbank—the state’s only food bank—rounds out the collaboration by distributing the packages of coffee to local food shelves and community agencies around the state.

The Cafe Alta Gracia farm is owned by Weybridge residents Bill Eichner and Julia Alvarez and is run as a non-profit demonstration farm.  Coffee is one of the many crop and cover trees planted in a plan to restore and improve the steep hillside land.  

“This is a uniquely Vermont project,” said Paul Ralston of Vermont Coffee Company, “The farmers, the roasters, the distributor, and the customers are all from Vermont.”

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the larger of the two companies, has volunteered to handle the production process.  The roasting will take place in two shifts – one in November and another in December – allowing for great coffee all during the holiday season.  This donation will result in 9,000 10-ounce bags of ground coffee – with an estimated retail value of $70,000 – for distribution to Vermont Foodbank Network Partners. “We are humbled by this opportunity to pitch in and help Vermonters at the holidays,” said Dan Redding from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, “This effort just feels good.”

The collaboration between two Vermont companies is accomplishing more than either company hoped for on its own.  “It’s easy to take for granted that everyone can enjoy a steaming cup of great-tasting coffee with breakfast or after dinner, said Deborah Flateman, CEO of the Vermont Foodbank.  “The partnership between Vermont Coffee Company and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will bring a normal part of life to some Vermont residents who will appreciate it most.”

###

Contact:     
Paul Ralston                     
802 453-2776
Laura Peterson or Rick Peyser        
866-881-7475