Friday, November 05, 2004

VI International Coffee Festival-St. Petersburg

The VI International Coffee Festival BMN St. Petersburg, November, 26 - November 28,2004 in a beautiful Shuvalovskiy Palace.

This is a great event for sincere coffee lovers and coffee specialists. The leading companies from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Northern - West region, CIS take part in the Festival. Preparation for the Festival is successfully underway.

The program of the festival consist of 3 main events:

1. Exhibition of coffee, coffee equipment and accompanying products Exhibition includes presentation of coffee brands and tasting, numerous entertainment programs for exhibition visitors. Last year The exhibition was visited by representatives of coffee companies from St. Petersburg, Moscow, another Russian towns, Baltic countries, Ukraine. Practically all leading companies from St. Petersburg and a lot of companies from Moscow took part in the Festival. There were represented the most popular brands of profession equipment: Gaggia, Spidem, Saeco, Promak, Faema, Solis, Melitta, Rancilio, Electra, Franke, Modular etc. Nearly 5 thousand people visited the exhibition during 2 days.

2. The conference of professional participants of the coffee market and related industries. World tendencies. New technologies. Quality control. Branding. Coffee market in St-Petersburg, Moscow, Russia. Professional coffee equipment. Last news and the most actual problems of Russian coffee markets will be discussed at the conference.

3. Coffee Ball. The most bright event of the Festival
Among the participants of the Ball there will be representatives of city authority and RusTest (Moscow), the heads of companies - coffer producers and coffer dialers, trade companies. Among the guests - bankers, famous businessmen, and some outstanding people of our city, journalists. The cultural program of the Ball is very interesting.

Participation in the Coffee Festival is a direct way to the markets of these regions. We offer you to use the events of The VI International Coffee Festival for effective promotion the products of your company. If you are interested in participation, please, attract attention on conditions. If you need any additional information, please, contact Organizing Committee. We would like to hearing from you.

Dmitry DAK,
coffeefest.org
dakmail@coffeefest.org

Children's book is artist's gift to Ethiopia and his adopted home

BettyUdesen / THE SEATTLE TIMES

People around the world drink 400 billion cups of coffee a year, and it's a good bet most of them don't think about Ethiopia while they're opening their eyes.

If they thought about the origins of their coffee at all, they'd think about Brazil or maybe Colombia.

But Sultan Mohamed, 42, an artist and a teacher at Asa Mercer Middle School, grew up in Ethiopia hearing about the boy who centuries ago discovered coffee when one of his goats nibbled on the beans of an unfamiliar plant.

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Thursday, November 04, 2004

Espresso Enthusiast Experience in Durham

Specialty Coffee Association of America & Counter Culture Coffee Host
Espresso Enthusiast Experience in Durham, North Carolina, Nov. 20th

LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- While it may be cold outside,
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and Counter Culture Coffee
are heating things up in Durham, North Carolina this fall with EspressoFest
2004, a coffee enthusiast experience. The event takes place Saturday, Nov.
20th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Durham-based Counter Culture Coffee
(http://www.counterculturecoffee.com), one of the nation's top-rated specialty coffee roasters. EspressoFest is an excellent opportunity for coffee fans to learn about and sample espresso, try out both commercial and home espresso machines,hone barista skills, check out a premier roasting facility or swap tips and techniques with other coffee consumers.

Attendees can expect plenty of activities and opportunities to learn about
home roasting, coffee blending, brewing fundamentals, home espresso equipment
and more.

The event is open to the public and free of charge, but space is limited.

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Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Guatemalan coffee industry reheats

Focus on high-quality beans has stirred revival, narrowed field.

By Mary Jordan / Washington Post

AMATITLAN, Guatemala - When a global glut drove the price of coffee beans to a historic low five years ago, Julio Flores almost shuttered the hillside coffee farm that had been in his family for four generations. Today, Flores' farm is prospering as soaring demand for premium coffee brings new wealth to the old fields of Central America.

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High school coffee shop perks up teen baristas

By David Henson/Staff Writer

The alarm-clock aroma of freshly brewed coffee emanated from behind the orange door of Room 25 at Vacaville High School on a recent morning.

Inside, a narrow entryway quickly opened into a checkerboard tiled room with three baristas - workers in a coffee shop - busily preparing coffee for teachers and staff.

The students are the first employees of the Bulldog Brew Co., a new "business" that helps students with special needs transition into jobs after high school.

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Sunday, October 31, 2004

Vote on November 2nd

Liberty has always demanded sacrifice.

While Americans are willing to lay down their lives for love of country, is it too much to ask you to lay down your vote on November 2?

Martin Diedrich Announces His Departure From Diedrich Coffee

IRVINE, Calif., October 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martin Diedrich has announced that after much thought he has decided to pursue interests outside of Diedrich Coffee, Inc. Martin is the founder and has played a significant role in developing the framework and inspiration for the Diedrich Coffee concept. His vision of providing a truly exceptional coffee experience to our customers continues to define the quality difference that is Diedrich Coffee. Roger M. Laverty, CEO stated, "We will miss the valuable day-to-day influence that Martin brought to the Company. His vision, however, will continue to guide our company as we enter a new period of exciting growth. We look forward to the evolution of our relationship and wish Martin the best with his new ventures."

About Diedrich Coffee

With headquarters in Irvine, California, Diedrich Coffee specializes in sourcing, roasting and selling the world's highest quality coffees. The Company's three brands are Gloria Jean's, Diedrich Coffee and Coffee People. The Company's 494 retail outlets, the majority of which are franchised, are located in 33 states and 13 foreign countries. Diedrich Coffee also sells its coffees through more than 460 wholesale accounts, including office coffee service distributors, restaurants and specialty retailers, and via mail order and the Internet. For more information about Diedrich Coffee, visit the Company's Web sites at www.diedrich.com, www.gloriajeans.com, or www.coffeepeople.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that relate to future plans, financial results or projections, events or performance are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and fall under the safe harbor. Actual results and financial position could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the financial and operating performance of the Company's retail operations, the Company's ability to maintain profitability over time, the successful execution of the Company's growth strategies, franchisees adherence to the Company's practices, policies and procedures, the impact of competition, the availability of working capital, and other risks and uncertainties described in detail under "Risk Factors and Trends Affecting Diedrich Coffee and its Business" in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004.

Information Contact
Roger Laverty, Chief Executive Officer
(949) 260-6734

Starbucks Seeks More Socially Responsible Coffee

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp. has launched an aggressive plan to ensure coffee sold in its stores comes from environmentally friendly farms paying workers a fair wage, Chief Executive Orin Smith said in an interview.

By 2007, Starbucks expects that 60 percent of its coffee will come from farmers following strict rules on everything from forestation to pesticides to labor practices. About 10 percent of Starbucks' coffee is bought from suppliers following such rules now.

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Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. Celebrates the
Accomplishments of "Las Hermanas"

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Company's long-term price contracts enable all-women cooperative to sustain quality production methods and build ongoing community training programs

Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEET), a specialty coffee roaster and marketer, announced its fourth year of guaranteed price contracts with Las Hermanas (the "Sisters"), a group of 143 women, specially dedicated to quality, who grow and mill their own coffee in the highlands of Nicaragua. Peet's is proud to feature Las Hermanas coffee in their 2004 Holiday Blend.

In 2001, Peet's first introduced the coffee of Las Hermanas in Fair Trade Blend, and in 2003, the coffee was featured as a special offering worthy of standing alone. For 2004, the company is proud to feature more of this special coffee in its much anticipated Holiday Blend coffee to celebrate not only the holiday season but also the continued accomplishments of these remarkable coffee growers.

As a result of the premium priced contracts with Peet's, Las Hermanas has been able to obtain additional low-interest, pre-harvest financing, at the start of the coffee growing season, securing the loans against the company's yearly purchases. Further, these purchases have enabled these women to sustain rigorous quality control training programs, allowing them to maintain top quality coffee production and invest back into their future livelihood.

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Starbucks Foundation Grants $500,000 to America Scores

Starbucks Foundation and Starbucks Duetto Card Promote Literacy through After-School Poetry and Soccer Workshops

(CSRwire) Free SRI Mutual Funds KitNEW YORK, NY - America SCORES, a national after-school program, today announced that it has received a $500,000 grant from The Starbucks Foundation to grow its national after-school programs. The financial support from Starbucks enables America SCORES to further develop and strengthen its programs, which use poetry, soccer and community service to promote literacy and the physical and social well-being of at-risk youth in urban communities nationwide.

"Urban public schools continue to struggle with falling literacy rates among students and more urban youth are obese than at any point in our history," said Paul Caccamo, President, America SCORES. "The America SCORES solution is to make the 'couch' the enemy and to ask kids to get up, get active and exercise their bodies and minds through creative writing, soccer and community service."

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