'Extreme' Corporate Social Responsibility Proves Profitable for Specialty Roast Coffee Company When Consumers Direct the Giving.

Customers choose the cause to support from nearly 300 charities

SEATTLE -- Corporate social responsibility isn't a marketing tactic for Specialty Roast Coffee Company - it is the reason the company was founded. Specialty Roast donates $2 to a cause the buyer chooses for every pound of coffee ordered online. Whether customers are passionate about animals, cancer or the environment, the donation is completely consumer-directed. "We give away, on average, 20% of our gross. It's counter-intuitive but we're profitable," adds Warren Sly, founder. "Giving as generously as we do has been good for business. As Benjamin Franklin proved, you can do well by doing good."

At www.specialtyroast.com shoppers select the cause to support from an ever growing list of national and local non-profits. The significant donation, in combination with the power of choice, is attractive to both individuals and businesses. "We are engaging with people's passion for their cause. Their positive energy overcomes any negatives about trying something new," says Sly. "Nearly half sign up for auto-recurring orders. So the donations add up with each morning cup of coffee. Our average household earns their cause $48 annually, our average business $200."

Specialty Roast purchases only specialty-grade Arabica beans sourced from socially and environmentally-responsible growers. Customers can select from Fair Trade, shade grown and organic coffees. Once ordered the coffee is hand-roasted and shipped the next day for maximum freshness. "When you hail from the 'coffee capital of the world' the bar is high. Our coffees and freshness are better than store-bought. People try us because of the donation. They stay for the coffee," remarks Sly.

Specialty Roast was founded by Warren Sly, a refugee from the software industry. Formally an ad executive with Ogilvy & Mather New York, Sly introduced Perrier Water into this country in 1977, helping to create the first bottled water and today's $6 billion water industry. Years later, Sly was challenged by a former Ogilvy colleague, now a Catholic priest, to start a company and donate the profits to feed the poor. He's added other non-profits when asked and ships nationwide. "Now that the Internet has become a trusted buying source, our potential for doing good will keep growing."

Corporate Gift-Giving Program Showcases Social Responsibility

Specialty Roast serves customers nationwide including large financial services firms such as the Russell Investment Group (Tacoma, Washington) and entrepreneurial companies like PrintingForLess.com, America's first and leading online commercial printer based in Montana. For businesses, Specialty Roast creates a unique, customized label and gift program that showcases their social responsibility as it generates a donation to their cause. PrintingForLess.com has earned its Livingston, Montana Humane Society thousands of dollars in contributions from Specialty Roast. Russell supports CHOICES Education Group, a Seattle-based national social enterprise that empowers teen-aged students to achieve academic success in pursuit of their career and life aspirations. "We love knowing our marketing effort for Russell Global Indexes also benefits young people across the U.S," says Kevin Lohman, director of global sales, Russell Indexes. "Specialty Roast's business model sets a new benchmark for corporate responsibility."

About Specialty Roast Coffee Company

Specialty Roast Coffee Company is an Internet-based roaster located in Bellevue just east of Seattle, Washington. Their mission is to give $2 for every pound to non-profits the customer chooses. The company roasts super-premium coffee from socially and environmentally-responsible growers and delivers coffee at its maximum freshness. The Internet store offers a wide variety of certified Fair Trade, shade grown and organic coffees. Customers can choose to support a cause from a growing list of nearly 300 local and national non-profits. The company offers auto-repeat orders through their Coffee Club. Wholesale supermarket and corporate labeling programs are also available. Specialty Roast is a member of One Percent for the Planet and the Specialty Coffee Association of America. For more information go to www.specialtyroast.com.