KENCO COFFEE SOURCES FROM RAINFOREST ALLIANCE FARMS

11 March 2010

From January 2010, the entire range of Kenco’s freeze dried coffees will be sourced from beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. The move is in line with Kenco’s previous announcements and highlights Kraft Foods’, parent company of the Kenco Coffee Company, continued focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing.

It was back in 2003 that Kraft Foods started its work with the Rainforest Alliance and since this time increasing amounts of beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms have been blended into Kenco freeze dried coffee.

Last year the company announced the move to a minimum of 75% beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms across its Kenco freeze dried coffee, with a promise of a further increase in content during 2010.

Founded in 1987, the Rainforest Alliance is an independent, non-profit environment organisation. It promotes standards for sustainability that conserve wildlife and ensure the well being of workers and their communities. The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ programme assures consumers that the products they are buying come from farms that meet demanding standards for environmental, economic and social improvements.

Delighted with Kenco’s latest move Kenco’s sales director Ashley Neal said:

‘We are all really excited to be offering product with increased certified bean content from day one of 2010. Our latest offering delivers great quality and real added value for operators, distributors and consumers and it’s great everyone in the supply chain can feel they are doing their bit’

While sustainable sourcing is increasingly important to consumers out of home^, quality is still critical to choice of coffee and consumer satisfaction. Kenco’s focus is on both taste and ethical sourcing, giving operators and consumers a real win-win.

Kenco’s market share growth over the past 12 months demonstrates how positively this combination has been received in the marketplace, the brand is really driving sales of the ethically certified coffee market*.

This latest move means the company can now boast that all of the beans it sources for its Kenco Roast & Ground Core, Kenco Singles filter coffee and Kenco Freeze-Dried coffee ranges are sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. Additional 100% of the cocoa sourced for Suchard Hot Chocolate is from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms and at least 50% of PG tips tea is sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. For clarity only products with the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal include ingredients from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.

Kraft Foods’ relationship with the Rainforest Alliance has benefitted more than 306,000 farmers and their dependents - farm workers and family members - and helped to sustainably manage more than 151,379 acres (61,261 hectares) of farmlands.