COFFEE WITH A CAUSE
Acclaimed coffee roaster, La Colombe Torrefaction has announced a charitable alliance with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and its initiatives to create a new, ultra high-end coffee line, LYON. Under the alliance, one-hundred percent of the net profits from the sale of LYON will be donated to environmental charities supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

“Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “I am thrilled to be a part of this new project with La Colombe that will help aid the shift to a truly sustainable future for the planet and its inhabitants.”

“Coffee employs over 100 million people worldwide, most of which is slash and burn and sold cheaply,” said Todd Carmichael, CEO and Co-Founder of La Colombe. “Sustainable coffee – specifically, coffee that is traded above fair prices and grown using earth conscious methods – not only adds much needed global biodiversity, but provides support for millions of families and communities in the developing world. The impact we are having in Haiti alone, just to bring this coffee to market, has changed the lives of thousands of peasant farmers, as well as the landscape of the country. We are excited to be working with and supporting The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and find it, as well as its namesake, uniquely qualified to carry out our hope, to make our planet a better place.”

“La Colombe’s commitment to pushing the envelope in environmental and social ethics makes the company unique, “said Alex Morgan, business development manager for the sustainable agriculture division of the Rainforest Alliance. “There are a number of coffee companies that take either quality or sustainability seriously, but they don’t necessarily combine the two of them. We commend La Colombe for promoting transparency throughout its supply chain, and for committing itself to this approach.”

LYON will be available for sale beginning February 1st in Williams Sonoma stores nationwide, La Colombe Cafes, select Whole Foods and online at www.lacolombe.com. With their purchase, consumers will make a significant impact on projects that defend lands and oceans, clean water, help endangered species, aid disaster relief and support alternative and green energy efforts.

Velvety, nectar like and sweet, LYON is an extraordinary coffee with a cause, a masterpiece of taste achieved by blending directly sourced and sustainably grown coffees from the mountains of Haiti, Peru, Ethiopia, and Brazil.