Organic Coffee and 2009 Market Data to be Unveiled at Union Square Cafe in NYC July 21

July 15, 2009

(Vocus) July 15, 2009 — Reporters may sample new crop organic coffees from around the world and get the buzz about the 2008 organic coffee market and 2009 trends at an event hosted by the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade Association, at New York City’s popular Union Square Cafe Tuesday, July 21, 2009.

Who: Participants in the Collaboration are Caffe Ibis (Logan, UT), Chiapas Farms (Austin, TX), Crimson Cup (Columbus, OH), Elan Organic Coffee (San Diego, CA), Equator Estate Coffees and Teas (San Rafael, CA), Green Mountain Coffee (Waterbury, VT), Maximus Coffee Group (Houston, TX), S&D Coffee (Concord, NC), Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company (Burnaby, BC, Canada), and True Origin Organics (Weston, FL and Bogota, Colombia). These participants represent some of the newest companies to launch as well as others that source, decaffeinate, or already roast for the largest companies in the United States.

Announcing the new market data is internationally recognized coffee market analyst Mr. Daniele Giovannucci who has tracked organic coffee data for decades and is the author of a number of books and reports on the topic including the April 2008 book on value-added standards in the North American food market by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Recent data from the Organic Trade Association’s 2009 Organic Industry Survey indicated that U.S. sales of organic products, including food and non-food, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008, growing an impressive 17.1 percent over 2007 sales despite tough economic times. According to the report, the organic beverage sector was the second fastest-growing sector of the organic market (behind breads and grains at 35 percent) with 31.5 percent growth, representing, at 14 percent, the third largest sector (behind produce and dairy).

Where: Union Square Cafe, 21 East 16th Street, New York City, NY 10003. Tel: 212-243-4020.

When: 8:30-10 a.m., Tuesday, July 21, 2009. Please RSVP by Friday, July 17, 2009.

Contact: Sandra Marquardt, On the Mark Public Relations, tel: 301-592-0077; cell: 301-512-4781. Marquardt can set up interviews with any of the participants or arrange for them to send you samples if you cannot attend. Attendees will each receive an organic cotton bag full of 6 or more pounds of the participants’ organic coffees and will be able to sample the coffees on-site along with delicious organic fruit salad and morning pastries from Union Square Cafe Executive Chef Carmen Quagliata who will also give a brief presentation. USC has twice garnered The New York Times’ three-star rating, and also earned Zagat Survey’s #1 ranking as New York’s Most Popular Restaurant for an unprecedented eight years.

Background:
Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, avoid the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production. Organic coffee is grown in approximately 40 countries, including the United States.

The Organic Coffee Collaboration – a project of the Organic Trade Association, the business association for the North American organic industry, includes:

Caffe Ibis (Logan, UT) – An award-winning ‘green business,’ Caffe Ibis is a custom coffee roasting house featuring triple certified–organic, Fair Trade, and Smithsonian Shade Grown ‘Bird-Friendly ‘- coffees, mountain grown, mountain roasted. Caffe Ibis also operates a celebrated gallery/deli-licious espresso bar. University franchise, private label, equipment programs, monthly specials, and consulting services are available.

Chiapas Farms (Austin, TX) – Chiapas Farms specializes in superior fair trade foods. Its Cafe de Chiapas coffee is from an organic/fair trade cooperative in the Chiapas, Mexico highlands. The coffee has a nutty and buttery taste with a smooth, slightly sweet finish. The product is offered in dark and medium roast and available online.

Crimson Cup (Columbus, OH) – Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted and packaged great-tasting coffee in Columbus, Ohio. Led by Harvard ‘Crimson’ graduate Greg Ubert, Crimson Cup offers a full line of certified organic Fair Trade coffee and teas to over 350 coffee houses, colleges and universities and grocers throughout 26 states.

Elan Organic Coffees (San Diego, CA) – Elan Organic Coffees is a coffee developer and importer offering certified organic socially responsible and Bird Friendly coffees it has developed through partnerships with village co-ops in coffee-producing countries. Elan has pioneered the supply of the world’s finest certified organic coffees,