NEW YORK - (Business Wire) As trends in the wholesale market for specialty coffee rise and a more sophisticated palette becomes the norm among coffee drinkers worldwide, Growers Direct Coffee Company, Inc. a world-wide distributor and marketer of whole, green bean coffee, is well-positioned to become a strong link in the supply chain of some of the finest coffee beans in the world. In response to the historically inequitable treatment of coffee farmers, Growers Direct has partnered directly with suppliers of the highest quality coffee beans to enhance farmers’ quality of life through better pricing and giving them a vested interest in providing Growers Direct with the highest quality green bean coffee. 

“Through increased training and improved farming techniques we can increase production rates together. We feel that by taking a direct partnership approach with coffee growers, interests become more aligned and the benefits are two-sided rather than one-sided,” says Paul Khakshouri, President of Growers Direct Coffee Company, Inc.

Growers Direct has formed strategic relationships in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Jamaica, Ethiopia and now Colombia. PNG coffee farms supply Arabica and Robusta green bean coffee, which comprises up to 25% of annual PNG production, and is marketed exclusively by Growers Direct. The Company is expecting a shipment of 17 containers of fair trade, organic coffee from Ethiopia in near months. Growers Direct expects this shipment to sell quickly due to the current immense popularity for coffee from this region. The Company has also had great success with their Jamaican coffee shipment from the Blue Mountain Region, selling out immediately. Growers Direct plans to maximize wholesale channels for both green bean and roasted coffee through expansion of premium green bean coffee sources in additional countries, such as Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Ecuador, adding to their current distribution channels.

New Relationships Formed

Paul Khakshouri has been traveling within Colombia in recent months, to personally scout for premium specialty coffee sources from the most sought after coffee farms in this region.

“Growers Direct has partnered with two top coffee producing farms in Colombia, which produce rainforest alliance and organic coffees, and we are in talks to work with them on an exclusive basis. They are very excited to be a part of our team and we have made commitments with them for the remainder of this year’s crop. We are in the midst of securing additional relationships with farms and coffee cooperative associations from the Cauca, Huila, Quindio, Cundinamarca and Santander regions of Colombia. This plan will ensure a tremendous supply of coffee from Colombia,” Khakshouri says.

Growers Direct showcased its premium quality Colombian coffee at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (“SCAA”) 20th annual Conference and Exhibition held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 2-5, 2008. The cupping award for the finest coffee in the world was won this year by a Colombian farm.  Please visit www.uncommongrounds.net to purchase and “cup” the Company’s diverse range of roasted coffee beans.