Green Mountain Coffee Roasters debuts paper-based K-Cup portion pack

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) is pleased to announce it will package and distribute a new green tea in a K-Cup® portion pack made with paper.
Celestial Seasonings® Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea is the first beverage to be offered in the new paper-based K-Cup, which is designed for use in the Keurig® Single-Cup Brewing System. The K-Cup contains authentic green tea and delicate Bai Mu Dan white tea ‘ one of the rarest and youngest of teas ‘ creating a smooth, balanced cup with a pleasantly mild flavor.
‘As part of our overall commitment to corporate social responsibility, we are dedicated to reducing our environmental impact by cutting our energy consumption, advancing our product packaging, and pursuing many other initiatives,’ said Paul Comey, Vice President of Environmental Affairs for GMCR. ‘We believe K-Cups made with renewable resources like paper represent a positive step as we continue to search for more sustainable alternatives to our current portion pack technology.’
‘Our analysis suggests that K-Cups made with paper have a smaller environmental impact than K-Cups made with plastic because they reduce the use of non-renewable materials,’ said Comey. ‘But we’re not stopping here. Our research has indicated additional areas of opportunity to reduce our environmental impact. We are collaborating with our packaging suppliers on more significant improvements to our portion pack materials, and we look forward to sharing our progress.’
K-Cup portion packs contain the exact amount of coffee or tea to create a perfect, single cup. The construction of plastic K-Cups® protects coffee from the effects of light, air, and moisture. This new paper-based K-Cup is not currently a viable solution for coffee because the technology does not provide a sufficient barrier to ensure product freshness. Tea can be effectively protected by paper that is lined with polyethylene. While this layer prevents the paper-based K-Cup from being recyclable, it helps to maintain the freshness of the tea and allows the paper to withstand the water, heat, and pressure of the brewing process.
Celestial Seasonings Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea is available online at www.GreenMountainCoffee.com and www.Keurig.com. A box of 24 K-Cups currently sells for $13.95.
Source: WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. 922.2010
About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR)
As a leader in the specialty coffee industry, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices. GMCR’s operations are managed through two business units. The Specialty Coffee business unit produces coffee, tea and hot cocoa from its family of brands, including Tully’s Coffee®, Green Mountain Coffee®, Newman’s Own® Organics coffee, Timothy’s World Coffee® and Diedrich, Coffee People and Gloria Jeans®, a trademark licensed to the Company for use in North America and owned by Gloria Jeans Coffees International Pty. Ltd. The Keurig business unit is a pioneer and leading manufacturer of gourmet single-cup brewing systems. K-Cup® portion packs for Keurig® Single-Cup Brewers are produced by a variety of roasters, including Green Mountain Coffee, Tully’s, Timothy’s and Diedrich. GMCR supports local and global communities by offsetting 100% of its direct greenhouse gas emissions, investing in Fair Trade Certifiedâ ¢ coffee, and donating at least five percent of its pre-tax profits to social and environmental projects. Visit www.gmcr.com for more information.
GMCR routinely posts information that may be of importance to investors in the Investor Relations section of its website, including news releases and its complete financial statements, as filed with the SEC. The Company encourages investors to consult this section of its website regularly for important information and news. Additionally, by subscribing to the Company’s email alerts, individuals can receive news directly from GMCR as it is released.
Celestial Seasonings® is a registered trademark of Celestial Seasonings, Inc.
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