Seattle’s Best Coffee Expands to 50,000 Places Where Consumers Can Enjoy a Cup of Its Coffee

Starbucks-Owned Seattle’s Best Coffee Taps into Growing Demand for Premium Coffee


SEATTLE, - Seattle’s Best Coffee today announced that a smooth, freshly-brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee® can now be enjoyed at more than 50,000 locations in the United States and Canada. The rapid expansion of Seattle’s Best Coffee, part of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX), was kick-started one year ago when the business unveiled a fresh approach to the coffee category -- a fun, optimistic brand and a business strategy to make premium coffee far more accessible than ever before.

“Seattle’s Best Coffee is the coffee brand to watch right now. Our dramatic expansion this past year confirms that we are delivering what consumers and our business partners truly want -- a great-tasting cup of premium coffee anywhere it’s needed,” said Michelle Gass, president, Seattle’s Best Coffee. “Now with more than 50,000 places to enjoy a freshly brewed cup of our coffee, we are well on our way to becoming one of the most accessible premium coffee brands in the world.”

Since Gass joined Seattle’s Best as president in Sept. 2009, the business has seen significant growth. Expanding the distribution of Seattle’s Best Coffee was just one achievement of many that account for the growth. In the past year, Seattle’s Best took to the aisles of grocery stores with the launch of the Levels packaged coffee line, which uses numbers and colors to signal different blends, and the national introduction of Seattle’s Best Coffee® Iced Canned Lattes.

Seattle’s Best Coffee Reaches New Customers, New Occasions

Seattle’s Best Coffee reached 50,000 points of distribution through a diverse channel approach including relationships with leading brands and retailers:

Relationships with Great Brands: By forging strategic relationships with other brands, Seattle’s Best is bringing premium coffee to the places where on-the-go consumers frequent the most. In the past year, Seattle’s Best Coffee® has become available at BURGER KING, Subway Restaurants, AMC Theatres and on board Delta Air Lines flights.
Innovating at Retail: Seattle’s Best is testing a new store-within-a-store coffee bar concept designed to be flexible and fit within the small footprint of various retail locations. The first four coffee bars are located within Walmart Supercenters in Canada as part of a pilot program, which includes four more locations planned over the next 12 months.
Entering New Venues and New Locations: Seattle’s Best Coffee recently launched its self-service premium coffee vending machine. Within just six months, the new machine has been placed in hundreds of locations nationwide including ferry boats, college libraries, hospital waiting rooms, and office break rooms.
Expanding in Office Coffee: Seattle’s Best Coffee is helping more workplaces make premium coffee part of the daily grind for their employees. By offering premium coffee at a great price, Seattle’s Best has seen a double digit year over year increase in office coffee sales, despite a negative trend for the industry overall.

Under the new Starbucks Corporation multi?brand portfolio strategy unveiled earlier this year, Seattle’s Best Coffee is accelerating its growth to reach new customers and occasions. Key to the Seattle’s Best Coffee growth strategy is a complete revitalization of the 40-year-old brand and a new business direction that fully leverages its multi-channel strategy to bring its great coffee to both expected and unexpected places – anywhere it’s needed.

About Seattle’s Best Coffee

Seattle’s Best Coffee, LLC has been roasting premium coffee since 1970 and today roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year and millions of cups of our coffee are served every day. A freshly brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee® is currently available in more than 50,000 locations including cafes, college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, bookstores, grocery stores and movie theatres. Seattle’s Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) and is ranked among the 10 best franchise opportunities by QSR Magazine (January 2010). For more information, please visit Seattle’s Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com