MEDIA RELEASE

Waitrose deal for new 918 Coffee Co and Eden Project range

Award-winning 918 Coffee Co and the Eden Project have secured a deal with leading supermarket chain Waitrose that will see all  UK stores nationwide featuring 918's Eco-Roast range of coffees. The range will be available in store from March2016.

The Cornwall-based environmental attraction and 918 Coffee Co have worked together to launch five Eco-Roast coffee blends - Central American, South American, Far Eastern, East African and Italian -  a range inspired by Eden's famous Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes.

Credited with inventing the world's first coffee-powered coffee bean roaster, Justin Cornelius, CEO of 918 Coffee, launched their new system on 18 September 2015.  918 Coffee Co developed, designed and patented the pioneering technology and process that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates a zero waste, carbon neutral roasting process resulting in a much reduced carbon footprint for the coffee.

All five blends going on sale at Waitrose are either Rainforest Alliance (RFA) certified or Fair Trade certified. Dorset-based 918 have also introduced a new way of illustrating the taste profile of each blend by providing a comprehensive multi-point descriptor on the reverse of each pack to provide the consumer with a clearer indication of each of the main characteristics.

The range is individually hand-packaged in fully biodegradable kraft bags, using fully compostable labels, to help achieve the goal of significantly reducing the carbon footprint. 

Justin Cornelius of 918 Coffee said:  "We have worked tirelessly over the last two and a half years on our Eco- Roast project and invested heavily into making it a reality for everyone to enjoy. To see our Eco-Roast coffee being distributed in Waitrose stores across the UK with the Eden Project endorsement is a great achievement."

Tracey Smith, Eden Project Commercial Manager, said: "As an educational charity and visitor attraction, Eden is always searching for sustainable solutions and clever uses for waste streams.

"Our Rainforest Biome is the world's largest greenhouse and in it we grow coffee as an exhibit. It is a natural fit to partner with an innovator and coffee roaster such as 918. We are very excited at the prospect of this new range now being available through Waitrose stores across the UK." 

918 Coffee is as passionate about the planet as it is about its coffee which is why Justin and Chanel Cornelius, who set up the company, together with their dedicated team have spent so long developing and testingthenew Eco Roast technology and the whole Coffe-Eco System. It aims to dramatically reduce the amount of coffee grounds and disposables being deposited into landfill.

Chanel Cornelius said:  "Coffee is the world's second largest commodity, second only to oil and is responsible for more than 1.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions produced in the UK alone. Our Eco Roast Technology makes substantial reductions in the roasting, packaging and disposal parts of the process.

"Whether you are an individual who enjoys delicious coffee, a coffee shop or a blue chip corporation, both you and the planet will benefit from using our trademarked Coffe-Eco System.  Working with a retailer such as Waitrose is amazing and a fantastic way to involve their consumers in what we are trying to achieve.  Everyone is concerned about our planet and the damage it suffers and would like to help, unfortunately for many they do not know where to start.  By purchasing Eco Roasted coffee, the consumer can enjoy their favourite beverage safe in the knowledge that the coffee has been produced in a positive way, using coffee waste as fuel within an energy efficient green coffee roasting plant."

EDITOR'S NOTES:

918 Coffee Co is a multi-award winning coffee roasting company formed in 2009 and roasts coffees from around the globe to supply consumers throughout the UK and Europe from its roasteries in Dorset.

The business, founded by Justin and Chanel Cornelius, owns its own coffee outlet and understands the importance of high quality suppliers delivering a quality product also enabling them to be reactive to social trends and changes swiftly.

Further information fromwww.eco-roast.comor E/:coffee@eco-roast.com  or T/: 01747 228230

Further press information and hi res image from: Jane Adkins, A Head for PR, T/: 01935 813114 or E/:jane@aheadforpr.co.ukand David Rowe, Head of Media Relations at the Eden Project,drowe@edenproject.com, 01726 811901, 07813 041923

Feb 2016