Great Coffee, Good Vibes, Pass It on: Green Mountain Coffee Rocks Fair Trade Month with Musicians Grace Potter and Michael Franti

WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October is Fair Trade Month and for more than a decade, Green Mountain Coffee^® has been a leader in the fair trade movement, providing a better cup of coffee to consumers and a better quality of life for coffee farmers. Still, only one in three¹ consumers are aware of what fair trade is all about – that a simple purchasing decision can help improve the lives of people around the world. Green Mountain Coffee and acclaimed musicians Grace Potter and Michael Franti are celebrating Fair Trade Month in a big way with “Great Coffee, Good Vibes, Pass It On” – an awareness campaign that will celebrate the good vibes of fair trade through free concerts and an opportunity to win a trip to Costa Rica, one of many locations where Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Certified™ coffee is grown.

“Fair trade has truly brought a better quality of life to farming communities, from access to education to community development, and meeting with these people really opened my eyes to the impact fair trade has had on their lives.”

As part of the campaign, Green Mountain Coffee took Grace Potter to Colombia and Michael Franti to Sumatra to experience firsthand why fair trade means better coffee for you and a better life for farmers.

“During my trip to Colombia, I didn’t just meet the coffee farmers, I met their children and their families,” said Potter, musician and spokesperson for Green Mountain Coffee. “Fair trade has truly brought a better quality of life to farming communities, from access to education to community development, and meeting with these people really opened my eyes to the impact fair trade has had on their lives.”

Exclusive Fair Trade Performances

To celebrate Fair Trade Month, both Potter and Franti will give exclusive performances streamed live on the Green Mountain Coffee^® Facebook page. Fans are invited to RSVP for the events at Facebook.com/GreenMountainCoffee and experience the good vibes firsthand:

Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST — Grace Potter will perform live from famed music venue Joe’s Pub in New York City. Potter’s set will feature unique acoustic versions of songs from her new album, The Lion The Beast The Beat.
Oct. 24 at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST — Michael Franti will rev up Los Angeles from the first-ever Great Coffee, Good Vibes Lounge, brought to you by Green Mountain Coffee. Fans will be able to visit 7111 Melrose Avenue on October 24 and enjoy a free cup of Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Certified™ coffee.

“The farmers I met in Sumatra deepened my passion for fair trade and the incredible impact it can have on their quality of life,” says Michael Franti, musician and spokesperson for Green Mountain Coffee. “I’m hoping to inspire people everywhere to think about the difference they can make just by choosing to purchase fair trade products.”

Straight To The Source

People can view photos and videos from Potter and Franti’s trips to Colombia and Sumatra, including exclusive music performances, by logging on to Facebook. After watching these videos, people will have the chance to receive samples or coupons and enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Costa Rica. The six-night trip will include round trip airfare, a whitewater rafting tour, a canopy tour, a Mangrove boat tour, and additional opportunities to experience one of the countries where Green Mountain Coffee® Fair Trade Certified™ coffee is sourced.

“‘Great Coffee, Good Vibes, Pass It On’ is about using the power of music to share the message of fair trade,” said T.J. Whalen, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Specialty Coffee business unit of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR). “It’s a simple choice that makes a big difference in coffee communities around the world, and we want to inspire people to experience the quality of fair trade coffee, feel good about helping others and pass it on.”

The Green Mountain Coffee^® Fair Trade Heritage

GMCR, parent company of the Green Mountain Coffee^® brand, became one of the first roasters in the United States to offer Fair Trade Certified™ coffees, in 2000. Recently, the company was confirmed for the second year in a row as the world’s largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, among all coffee roasters, by Fair Trade USA for 2011.

Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Certified™ coffee is available through specialty and mass retailers, grocery, club and convenience stores, offices, quick-serve restaurants and online. The Green Mountain Coffee brand offers one of the largest selections of Fair Trade Certified™ coffees in the United States.

Learn more about the benefits of fair trade, RSVP for the live streaming concerts and enter the Great Coffee, Good Vibes sweepstakes on the Green Mountain Coffee brand’s Facebook page. For more information about Fair Trade Certified™ Green Mountain Coffee varieties, visit www.GreenMountainCoffee.com.

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 by offsetting 100 percent of its direct greenhouse gas emissions, investing in sustainably-grown coffee, and allocating a portion of its profits to socially and environmentally responsible initiatives.

GMCR routinely posts information that may be of importance to investors in the Investor Relations section of its website, including news releases and its complete financial statements, as filed with the SEC. The Company encourages investors to consult this section of its website regularly for important information and news. Additionally, by subscribing to the Company's automatic email news release delivery, individuals can receive news directly from GMCR as it is released.

¹ 2011 Globescan Study