LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TOMS proudly
announces the launch of TOMS Roasting Co.
(http://www.TOMS.com/coffee), as the next product in the evolution
of TOMS' One for One movement. Further supporting its mission to
use business to improve lives, TOMS Roasting Co. will turn an
ordinary daily ritual into an extraordinary daily giving
opportunity. For every bag of coffee purchased, TOMS will provide
one week of water to a person in need. One for One. The highly
anticipated announcement was made yesterday by TOMS' Founder and
Chief Shoe Giver, Blake Mycoskie,
who revealed TOMS Roasting Co. to an eager and captive audience at
South by Southwest Interactive in Austin,
Tex.
"In the last seven years, we've seen the incredible impact
our customers can have on communities around the world. We've
learned a lot through our Shoe and Sight Giving about what truly
transforms communities in need – and it was important that the next
One for One support economic opportunity," said Mycoskie. "Through
my travels, I found that some of the greatest coffee comes from
developing countries. I learned that the largest ingredient in
coffee is water, and that in many of the countries producing
coffee, there are huge populations of people without access to safe
water. That was the 'aha moment' for me, and TOMS Roasting
Co. was born – Coffee for you, Water for all."
Under the guidance of TOMS' Master Roaster Angel Orozco, TOMS
Roasting Co. will offer six premium coffee varieties with beans
sourced through direct trade efforts in Rwanda, Honduras, Peru, Guatemala and Malawi – countries where the TOMS' community
can have a life-changing impact by providing water to communities
in need. TOMS Roasting Co. coffee will be sold at Whole Foods
Market® nationwide, on TOMS.com and at TOMS Cafes
for a suggested retail price of $12.99 for 12oz. whole bean or ground bags.
"As advocates for the One for One movement championed by TOMS,
we look forward to offering TOMS coffee to our customers," said
John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO
of Whole Foods Market. "As a conscious business, TOMS is
transforming an act as simple as buying a pound of coffee into a
way for shoppers to make a meaningful impact in communities around
the world."
Today, 1.8 billion people do not have access to safe drinking
water and 2.5 billion are without adequate sanitation facilities*.
To address this need, TOMS Roasting Co. and its inaugural Water
Giving Partner Water For People are working together to help
provide water to the countries from which TOMS coffee beans are
currently sourced.
"The support TOMS provides Water For People is going beyond
providing safe water, it's also helping our endeavors to provide
long-term water solutions for generations to come," said
Ned Breslin, CEO of Water For
People.
TOMS' One for One will not stop with TOMS Roasting Co. Mycoskie
also announced at South by Southwest the promise of a new One for
One product every year for the foreseeable future. Since its launch
in 2006, TOMS and its Giving Partners have given 10 million pairs
of new shoes to children in need and have helped restore sight to
more than 200,000 people around the world, further fueling the
company's desire to continue its social innovation and grow the One
for One movement.
Mycoskie added, "My vision for TOMS and what our impact can be
around the world is to allow customers to give back through all
kinds of products. It was really important to me that the third One
for One product be something that was very disruptive and would
cause people to think about TOMS in that way. This is just the
beginning for us, and we look forward to continuing this movement
and helping those in need every day."
*Sources:
globalhealth.unc.edu/2012/04/unc-study-billions-still-drinking-unsafe-water/
and waterforpeople.org
ABOUT TOMS
In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village
in Argentina and found they had no
shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a
company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair
of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One.®
Realizing that One for One could serve other global needs, Blake
launched TOMS Eyewear in 2011 to help restore sight to people in
need with every purchase of TOMS Sunglasses and Optical frames. In
2014, TOMS Roasting Co. launched with the mission to provide clean
water to communities in need with the purchase of premium
coffee.
TOMS is in business to help improve lives. We identify a global
need and create products to help address them. This simple idea is
what makes us more than a company – we're a movement that's
continually evolving.
Learn more about TOMS and One for One movement at
http://www.TOMS.com. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
ABOUT WATER FOR PEOPLE
Water For People is an
international development organization dedicated to providing
access to improved water and sanitation systems and services in
developing countries. By working with local governments, the
private sector, and local non-profit partners, Water For People
ensures that everyone in a specific region has these basic needs
met forever. This innovative approach reaches every family, every
school, and every clinic, catalyzing transformative change for
better health and economic development. Learn more at
http://www.waterforpeople.org. Join us on Facebook
(facebook.com/waterforpeople) and Twitter
(twitter.com/waterforpeople).
ABOUT WHOLE FOODS MARKETS
Founded in 1980 in
Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market
(wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and
organic food retailer. As America's first national certified
organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest
Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole
Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure
customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and
happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and
environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 69,000
Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100
Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15
consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of
more than $10 billion and currently
has more than 325 stores in the United
States, Canada and the
United Kingdom.
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SOURCE TOMS