- Meeting Shared The Basis of Success In A Time of Crisis -
WATERBURY, VERMONT (May 2, 2003) – Fifty-five coffee farmers from eight coffee producing countries met all day on April 29th at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ production facility in Waterbury, Vermont to share their challenges and successes in dealing with the lowest world coffee commodity prices in history. Representatives from non-profit organizations working in coffee communities also participated in the event, including delegates from FomCafe (Oaxaca, Mexico), TransFair USA, The Rainforest Alliance, Ecologic Enterprise Ventures, Heifer International and Oxfam America.
An oversupply of low quality coffee has driven the world commodity price of coffee to historic low levels. This was a central theme at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) Annual Conference which took place in Boston this past week. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters hosted over 90 guests, most arriving directly from the SCAA Conference. Invitees to Green Mountain Coffee’s “Intercambio,” or “exchange” included primarily representatives from coffee producer and non-profit organizations with which the Company has developed long-term relationships. In addition, Green Mountain Coffee invited processors, exporters, importers, and others who help supply the Company with its high quality coffee, to participate in a full day of sessions that encouraged sharing of success stories and other information helpful in dealing with the current coffee crisis. Sessions on marketing, finance, sensory evaluation, and tours of Green Mountain Coffee’s facilities, were offered.
When inflation is taken into account, coffee farmers today are receiving less for their crop than their ancestors received over 100 years ago. Current prices are below most farmers’ costs of production. In Latin America alone, this has caused over 600,000 coffee farmers to leave their coffee, their families, and their communities to seek work in urban centers or the U.S. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters believes that sharing successes and providing access to marketing, financial, and sensory information has helped participants generate future successes that may directly impact the quality of life and the quality of coffee grown in the communities represented.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is a leader in the specialty coffee industry and has been recognized by
Forbes Magazine for the past three years as one of the “200 Best Small Companies in America.” Green Mountain Coffee seeks to make the world a better place for present and future generations by operating in an environmentally and socially conscientious manner. The Company contributes at least five percent of its pre-tax profit annually to support socially responsible initiatives, many of which it has supported for over 10 years.
Business Ethics magazine recognized these efforts by ranking Green Mountain Coffee Roasters 8th overall on its 2003 list of “100 Best Corporate Citizens.”
The Company roasts high-quality arabica coffees and offers over 90 coffee selections including single-origin, estate, certified organic, Fair Trade, signature blends, and flavored coffees that it sells under the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters® and Newman’s Own® Organics brands. The majority of Green Mountain Coffee’s revenue is derived from its wholesale operation that serves supermarkets, convenience stores, offices, and other locations where fine coffees are sold. Green Mountain Coffee also operates a direct mail business and an e-commerce website (
GreenMountainCoffee.com) from its Waterbury, Vermont headquarters.
