Perk & Brew Corp. brings Fair Trade Coffee to Kroger Great Lakes customers

Perk & Brew Corp of Ann Arbor, MI, a woman/minority-owned coffee roasting company with national distribution, will begin distributing Fair Trade Certified coffee in the Kroger Great Lakes Division on August 1. TransFair USA, the Fair Trade certifying agency, will work closely with Perk & Brew and Kroger to bring the Fair Trade certification experience to specialty coffee customers. The Kroger Great Lakes division covers Michigan and Columbus, Ohio.

Ann Arbor, MI August 8, 2004 -- Perk & Brew Corp of Ann Arbor, MI, a woman/minority-owned coffee roasting company with national distribution, will begin distributing Fair Trade Certified coffee in the Kroger Great Lakes Division on August 1. TransFair USA, the Fair Trade certifying agency, will work closely with Perk & Brew and Kroger to bring the Fair Trade certification experience to specialty coffee customers. The Kroger Great Lakes division covers Michigan and Columbus, Ohio.

Under a licensing agreement with Espresso Royale CafPerk & Brew will roast and distribute its proprietary Solidario Organic Fair Trade Certified coffee through I & K Distribution Company. Espresso Royale owns and operates 35 espresso shops nationwide.

Fair Trade certification guarantees consumers that their coffee is grown by democratically organized small farmers. Through Fair Trade certification, these farmers are able to earn a fair price for their crops. Currently, the historic 100-year low price of coffee is responsible for widespread unemployment and farm abandonment. Fair Trade certification guarantees farmers at least $1.26 per pound for their coffee, and $1.41 per pound if it is certified as organic. The current world market is 42 to 65 cents per pound.

Paul Rice, President and CEO of TransFair USA, commended Kroger for its leadership as a socially responsible company and for its commitment to a fair deal for coffee farmers. Each purchase of Fair Trade Certified coffee enables family farmers to stay on the land, keep their kids in school and invest in the future.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is one of the nations largest retail grocery chains. At the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2004, the Company operated (either directly or through its subsidiaries) 2,536 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 32 states.

TransFair USA, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, is the sole Fair Trade certification organization in the U.S. Its rigorous audit system, which tracks products from farm to market, verifies industry and farmer compliance with Fair Trade criteria. TransFair authorizes companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet this high standard. To learn more, visit www.transfairusa.org

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