CBOU Caribou Coffee Company, Inc. (MM)

Caribou Coffee Treats Customers With Live In-Store Music on the First Day of Spring MINNEAPOLIS, March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Caribou Coffee Company Inc. (NASDAQ:CBOU) released a podcast today with CEO Michael Coles discussing the power of brands working together, such as Apple and Caribou Coffee in Caribou's current "Wake Up and Smell the Music" promotion. In addition to giving away Apple(R) iTunes(R) and iPods(R), Caribou announced that it will treat customers to more free music by providing live music in select stores on Monday, March 20. To subscribe to the podcast go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/caribou Caribou Coffee plans to treat its customers in Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington D.C. by providing live music from guitarists and singers at select stores on Monday, March 20, which also marks the first day of spring. Customers can welcome in the spring season and actually "Wake Up and Smell the Music," with great coffee and live music at these select Caribou Coffee locations on Monday, March 20, from 6:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.: - Chicago: Northwest Train Station at 500 West Madison Street - Chicago: University Village at 1328 South Halsted - Minneapolis: Nicollet Mall at 1116 Nicollet Mall - Pittsburgh: 3619 Forbes Avenue - Washington D.C.: 1800 M Street In his podcast, available at http://www.cariboucoffee.com/, Coles said, "The synergies between Apple and Caribou are so dynamic and so apparent that in some ways it's almost scary. We're both challenger brands. From a quality standpoint, we offer a unique product that has no real peer group. Our products are like new iPods. We generally come out with a new product that is innovative before our customers even know that's what they wanted." Coles, a fan of Apple iPods and podcasts, said podcasts have changed the way he consumes news, and he now appreciates the convenience of portable, downloaded programs, such as Meet the Press and Face the Nation. As a music fan, Coles enjoys thinking of a song one minute and downloading it the next, with his taste in music ranging from Miles Davis to the Black Eyed Peas. During the "Wake Up and Smell the Music" instant win game, Caribou Coffee will give away a total of 31,833 prizes with one grand prize of 1,000 iTunes music downloads or $1,000 on a Caribou Coffee Card. Customers who purchase a qualifying beverage at any of Caribou Coffee's more than 400 stores in the U.S. will receive a code that can be entered online at http://www.cariboucoffee.com/win to play the instant win game until April 7, 2006. No purchase is necessary and the code can be obtained directly online at http://www.cariboucoffee.com/win. The game can be played once a day and players must be 16 years of age or older to play. All U.S. residents are eligible except residents of New York and Florida. Official game rules may be obtained at http://www.cariboucoffee.com/win. Other prizes include 20 winners of 30 GB Apple iPods and 75 winners of a three-month tours of Caribou Coffee, a "culinary tour" where two one-pound bags of select coffees grown in the finest coffee growing regions from around the world are delivered to the winners' homes for three months. Forty winners will receive Caribou Coffee for a year with their choice of one pound of coffee delivered to their home each month. The complete text of Caribou Coffee CEO Michael Coles' "Wake Up and Smell the Music" podcast follows: Hey, Wake up and smell the music! I'm Michael Coles, the President of Caribou Coffee, but more importantly, the Head Bou. And I know you are asking yourself a question. Why would anyone want to download a podcast from Caribou Coffee? Because there's something in it FREE for you! Apple and Caribou are a perfect match. We both provide a unique experience in our particular space. Apple, as an innovative company, positions itself well against Microsoft, just as we at Caribou position ourselves well against a large, ubiquitous competitor, no names mentioned of course. Apple, in contrast to Microsoft, is a scrappier company and is more focused on innovation. Apple is set on doing things differently and as a result, has a very high emotional engagement with its customers, just as we do at Caribou. Our "Wake Up and Smell the Music" promotion is a perfect way to bring the two of us together. I love downloading music. I love the fact that I can be sitting at my desk and think of a song and seconds later it's on my iPod. I like everything from Miles Davis to the Black Eyed Peas. I have five or six iPods. Every time Apple comes out with a new one, I swear, I'm not going to get it and within two weeks I own it. Why? Because Apple always seems to know what I want and what I need before I do. I love as an example, my new iPod with video. It's innovative and the quality of the video cannot be beat. Besides music, podcasts have changed the way I listen and get my news. I admit it. I'm a political junkie. I love Meet the Press, and Face the Nation and both of them come downloaded to me automatically every week. I used to TIVO both shows, but now, they fit my active lifestyle much better. I can take them with me on the road. The synergies between Apple and Caribou are so dynamic and so apparent that in some ways it's almost scary. We're both challenger brands. From a quality standpoint, we offer a unique product that has no real peer group. Our products are like new iPods. We generally come out with a new product that is innovative before our customers even know that's what they wanted. Our customers love music and coffee and now we're giving them a chance to have both, with the ability to drink great coffee and get free downloads for great music. It's as easy as going to CaribouCoffee.com and playing to win. We're giving away iTunes, iPods and great-tasting Caribou Coffee. Great coffee, great music, how cool is that? About Caribou Coffee Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee Company Inc. (NASDAQ:CBOU) is the second largest non-franchised coffee house chain in the United States with 400 stores in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Caribou Coffee opened its first store in December 1992 in Minneapolis. Today, over 5,800 people work for Caribou Coffee. For more information, visit the Caribou Coffee Web site at http://www.cariboucoffee.com/. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPod and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Minimum Requirements: a computer, an Internet connection, (broadband required), a portable MP3/Video player or MP3/Video-player application on your computer, podcasting software and QuickTime 7. If you experience problems downloading the podcast, send an email to . http://feeds.feedburner.com/caribouDATASOURCE: The Caribou Coffee Company Inc. CONTACT: Garet Hayes of Hope-Beckham Inc., +1-404-636-8200, x225, or , Holly Satterwhite of Hope-Beckham Inc., both for Caribou Coffee, +1-404-636-8200, x236 Web site: http://www.cariboucoffee.com/win

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