Press Releases

4/21/03

Xanterra to Partner with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to Offer Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Coffee in Park, Resort Restaurants

Partnership Reflects Xanterra's Commitment to High-Quality Sustainable Cuisine

DENVER, April 21, 2003 — After an extensive search, Xanterra Parks & Resorts has selected Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. to supply organic Fair Trade Certified™ coffee in selected national park and resort restaurants.

Known as the most environmentally focused supplier of high-quality certified organic Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. will donate five percent of all earnings from Xanterra sales to environmental causes. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. recently was ranked No. 8 on Business Ethics Magazine's 2003 "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list.

"Coffee is the world's second-largest commodity after oil, so it is critically important that every step in the production process is fully aligned with Xanterra's own environmental and social values," said Andrew N. Todd, president and CEO of Xanterra Parks & Resorts. "We looked at many suppliers, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters not only offered the best product quality but also clearly shared our commitment to the environment as well as our passion for great coffee."

Xanterra Parks & Resorts has long been recognized as an innovative leader in environmental programs, including several other food-related initiatives. Ecologix, Xanterra's environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra was the recipient of Environmental Achievement Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 and from the Department of Interior in 2001 and 2002. Xanterra also received the Travel Industry Association's Odyssey Award for its environmental initiatives in 2001.

The growth and harvest of organic coffee beans are completed in a way that supports wildlife and migratory bird habitat. The coffee beans are grown without the use of harsh pesticides on farms in Central and South America using a "shade-growing" method that requires only partial cutting of the rainforest. This growing method protects bird habitats. Because the rainforests are preserved, migratory birds — such as those that reside in our national parks — have a home in winter. An additional benefit of the program is that the coffee holds a Fair Trade certificate, which means that it is guaranteed to be purchased from local farmers at a fair price.

"I am delighted to know that our certified organic Fair Trade coffees will be made available in many of our nation's popular national parks and resorts," said Robert Stiller, president and CEO of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. "Together, Xanterra and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will offer national park and resort visitors high-quality coffees that are making a positive difference in the environment and in the lives of many small-scale farmers and their families."

Organic Fair Trade Certified™ coffee is the latest in a series of sustainable cuisine options available at many Xanterra parks & resorts.

Two years ago, the company implemented a program to support sustainable fishing by placing a ban on serving certain kinds of seafood because of threats to either the fish species or the environment. The company will not serve Chilean Sea Bass (Patagonian Toothfish), Atlantic Swordfish, all species of Shark and Bluefin Tuna. Xanterra also recommends other species to guests if they are part of a wild population that is abundant enough to sustain fishing, there are low levels of wasted by-catch and the fish are caught or farmed in ways that minimize the impact to the environment.

The company also uses "Conservation Beef," in selected restaurants. Conservation Beef is beef from cows raised on natural grasses on the Western Range. No growth hormones or antibiotics are given to the animals, and the beef is dry-aged to enhance flavor. The Conservation Beef program supports habitat conservation in partnership with the Nature Conservancy.