Fonte Coffee Roaster Donates Sumatra Proceeds

Fonte Coffee Roaster Donates Sumatra Proceeds to American Red Cross International Response Fund for Tsunami Victims

Fonte Hopes to Rally Coffee Community by Following Efforts Made by Starbucks

SEATTLE, Dec. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Just days after the tragedy, millions of Americans rallied to pledge their financial support -- over $18 million to the American Red Cross alone -- to help victims of the devastating tsunami that crushed the coasts of Southeast Asia and Eastern Africa. Sumatra, whose primary export is coffee, was one of the countries hit the hardest. Fonte Coffee Roaster, a small independent coffee roaster in Seattle, hopes to continue the donation efforts and rally the rest of the coffee community by joining coffee powerhouse Starbucks' efforts to support the tsunami relief. To that end, Fonte will donate $2 for each pound of Sumatra coffee purchased through the website at www.fontecoffee.com or by calling 1-88-FONTE until further notice.

"This tremendous loss of life is tragic and we will all be forever changed. Sumatra grows some of the finest coffees in the world and it is heart-wrenching to see families and their livelihoods virtually rocked to the core by this disaster," says Fonte's president Paul Odom.

The portion of proceeds from Fonte's Sumatra coffee will go directly to the American Red Cross International Response Fund that provides immediate relief and long-term support through much-needed supplies and volunteers. Odom plans to rally other roasters through the Specialty Coffee Association of America, which has over 2,500 company members including Fonte, and hopes to encourage them to make a financial donation to the fund which will help those in Sumatra and the other countries hit by the tsunami.

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