Green Mountain gains recognition

Author: Joshua Carson

Vermont's own Green Mountain Coffee topped Business Ethics magazine's list of the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" this year, joining other conscientious enterprises such as Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard and the Timberland Company. Each year, the magazine compiles the list based on a broader methodology than is typically employed to evaluate companies. Couched in the idea that firms are responsible to not only their shareholders, but also to their corporate governance, community, diversity, employees, environment, human rights and product, the rankings quantify the company progress in each category. On all accounts, Green Mountain Coffee posted high scores making it the clear leader on the list. The only other Vermont-based company featured on the list was the Chittenden Corporation, a regional financial services company operating in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Canada.

Robert Stiller, president and CEO of Green Mountain Coffee said in a statement that he was honored to have received the recognition. "There are so many companies creating positive change in the world. It's exciting to learn about the work that others are doing. We have a long history of supporting social and environmental causes, but we still have much to learn from others."

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is the formal name of the company most Vermonters associate with their morning blend. Established in 1981 as a small café that roasted and served its own premium coffee on the premises, the company quickly expanded as local restaurants and inns began requesting the quality coffee beans. Although the original café is no longer open, the company has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Green Mountain Coffee now boasts a 90,000 square foot roasting and distribution center located in Waterbury, Vt. and sales of high-quality arabica coffee that topped 12 million pounds last year.

Key distribution partnerships have fueled Green Mountain's growth, with McDonald's most recently agreeing to sell one of the company's certified Fair Trade blends in over 650 franchises throughout New England. Consumers can also find the coffee in Hannaford Bros., Shaws, Amtrak and ExxonMobile convenience stores.

The company first established an environmental committee in 1989, coinciding with the release of a rainforest nut coffee in support of the non-profit group Rainforest Alliance dedicated to preserving ecosystems. Since that initial step, the Vermont coffee company has increased both its monetary donations and its employee awareness programs. Each year it donates money to the Coffee Kids fund, an organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for children in coffee growing communities. In addition, the company sponsors yearly trips to Vera Cruz and Oaxaca, Mexico where employees pick and sort coffee beans and get a true taste for the work put in prior to roasting and distribution. Green Mountain Coffee has also expanded the number of employees devoted to environmental concerns, buys directly from farmers which cuts out the middle man allowing farmers to retain more profit and sells a large amount of organic and Fair Trade coffee. With ethics like these, it is clear why this Vermont firm has topped the list for corporate responsibility for the last four years, and is likely to remain at the top in years to come.