Source: LOHAS Weekly Newsletter
Published: Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NasdaqNM: GMCR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) recently signed an agreement to assist coffee growers by offering expert advice for improving coffee bean quality and assisting in production, marketing and business development. At the ceremonial signing of the agreement, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., announced that restaurants in Senate office buildings "will soon be offering the option of fair-trade coffee," according to a Dec. 9 announcement.

AID intends for the alliance "to mitigate the crisis by supporting the development of small- and medium-scale coffee systems that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable,” according to the announcement.