Santa Monica's Urth Caffe Establishes Itself as an International Leader Through Mountain Gorilla Coffee Program; The Coffee Emporium's Owner Presents Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau with the Unique Ugandan Blend.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Shallom Berkman, co-founder of Santa Monica's award-winning organic coffee and tea emporium Urth Caffe, recently presented the first package of Ugandan Mountain Gorilla Coffee to Misti Kerns, president and CEO of Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), and Wendy O'Dea, director of communications. Ugandan journalist Daniel Karibwije was also present (photo available at www.santamonicanewsroom.com).

The coffee is the product of Urth's Mountain Gorilla Coffee program, which provides farmers in Kisoro, Uganda, with training in organic growing techniques as well as tools and equipment. The goal of the program is to provide higher profits for the farmers while helping to protect the habitat of the rare and endangered mountain gorilla, only a few hundred of which still exist in Uganda's Mufumbiro Mountains.

Previously unavailable outside Uganda, Arabica beans grown in Kisoro's rich volcanic soil produce some of the world's best tasting coffee, said Berkman. "At between 7,500 and 9,000 feet above sea level, it is the highest coffee growing area in the world, which makes it one of the least acidic coffees."

For Berkman and wife and co-founder Jilla, who opened their Santa Monica cafe on popular Main Street less than a year ago, the Mountain Gorilla Coffee program is part of a longstanding philosophy of mixing social consciousness with smart business.

Berkman said it was the City of Santa Monica's commitment to the environment that brought him to the city and inspired him to present the CVB with the first package of the new coffee. "Santa Monica has a sustainable-city program, one of the nation's first green certification programs and a very supportive staff that promotes environmental issues. We get so much support and wanted to show our appreciation."

"We are extremely impressed not only with the quality of the food and beverages at Urth Caffe but also with their willingness to carry through on their sustainability efforts," said the CVB's Kerns. "They are bringing new life to the northern end of Main Street -- an area with less foot traffic previously -- and intentionally built on an empty lot. We are very excited to see them doing so well and giving back not only to Santa Monica but also to less fortunate parts of the world."

Santa Monica was recognized in 2005 as one of the top 10 sustainable cities in the U.S. at a ceremony at the U.N. World Environment Day in San Francisco. It was ranked No. 5 by SustainLane's City Rankings, which commended its green building incentives, environmentally-conscious waste management practices and renewable energy policies.

Urth Caffe was also awarded a grand prize at this year's Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA), presented by the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, for its numerous environmental efforts. They were one of the first coffeehouses to voluntarily ban smoking in their indoor and outdoor seating areas and also one of the first businesses to go through the Santa Monica's green certification process. Berkman hopes the cafe will serve as a model to other businesses.

Following his visit to the Santa Monica Visitors Center, Berkman traveled to Washington, D.C., where he met with Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni and served Mountain Gorilla coffee to U.S. senators and congressional representatives who were gathered to honor Museveni for Uganda's successful HIV/AIDS prevention program.

Urth Caffe is located at 2327 Main St., between Pico and Ocean Park. For details log onto www.urthcaffe.com.

For information about other Santa Monica restaurants, hotels and cultural and recreational activities, please visit the newly re-designed Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site at www.santamonica.com. Assistance is also available at any of the four Santa Monica Visitor Information Centers: 1920 Main St., Ste. B; the kiosk at 1400 Ocean Ave.; the cart at Third Street Promenade; and the customer service desk in the Santa Monica Place mall.

Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, a non-profit, non-member business, is Santa Monica's official destination marketing organization. Its mandate is to increase visitor expenditures, tourism revenues and local employment opportunities through promotion of the area as a travel destination.