SEATTLE, May 14, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Seattle's Best Coffee(r) (SBC) announces the opening of its sixth SBC retail cafe in Vancouver, B.C. Now open and located at 250 Howe Street, in the base of prestigious PricewaterhouseCoopers Place, the new cafe is owned and operated by Snowbean Coffee Company, a licensed franchisee and wholesale distributor of Seattle's Best Coffee in Canada. Snowbean Coffee Company already owns five additional SBC cafes in Vancouver and plans to open its seventh cafe later this year.
"Our goal is to position Seattle's Best Coffee cafes solely in the best locations," said Jay Garnett, president of Snowbean Coffee Company. "PricewaterhouseCoopers Place truly combines the best in terms of location, building quality and exclusivity. We look forward to serving SBC's quality coffee to tenants, tourists and Vancouverites alike."
Situated near Vancouver's waterfront, the Howe Street cafe is easily accessible to the downtown business district, and is adjacent to Vancouver's busy cruise ship terminal and the trade and exhibition centre. With 22 seats and nearly 900 square feet, the new cafe features an outdoor patio with ample seating to allow guests to enjoy Vancouver's summer weather and bustling downtown scene.
Patrons can enjoy SBC's signature specialty drip coffee, espresso-based beverages or one of a selection of cold and frozen coffee beverages, including the all-new ice-blended JavaKula(tm). The cafe also offers hot chocolate, soda, seasonal gift items, fresh baked cookies, muffins, bagels, biscotti, sandwiches and whole bean coffee.
Founded by coffee expert Jim Stewart, SBC selects only the highest quality coffee beans grown around the world to create its varietals and blends. The coffee is tasted daily at the roaster to insure the taste profile meets SBC's high standards, and is roasted to create a bold, smooth taste that is never bitter.
About Snowbean Coffee Company
Snowbean Coffee Company, Ltd., is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with regional offices in Calgary and Toronto. Company founder and president, Jay Garnett, began pioneering Seattle's Best Coffee(r) in the Canadian market in 1995. There are now six Seattle's Best Coffee(r) cafes in Vancouver and within five years the company plans to have 25 retail cafes throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
Intrawest, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and The University of British Columbia proudly serve Seattle's Best Coffee. It can also be found across Canada at Safeway, Overwaitea Foods/Save On Foods and IGA grocery stores. Seattle's Best Coffee Canada is proud to be an official Community Contributor to the 2010 Vancouver bid. For more information visit Seattle's Best Coffee Canada online at www.seattlesbest.ca.
About Seattle Coffee Company
Founded in 1970, Seattle Coffee Company, a subsidiary of AFC Enterprises, Inc., franchises and operates 196 Seattle's Best Coffee(r) (www.seattlesbest.com) and 21 Torrefazione Italia(r) Coffee (www.titalia.com) cafes in eight countries. The company has more than 12,000 wholesale points of distribution, including grocery stores, restaurants, foodservice locations, airlines and hotels.
The company supports TransFair USA, a non-profit monitoring agency, by offering Fair Trade Certified(tm) coffee. Seattle's Best Coffee(r) also offers organic coffee certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA(r)). The OCIA is an international program of certification to strict organic standards. It is the world's largest organic certification agency and has been accredited by the USDA. OCIA is a respected voice in the international organic community.
About AFC Enterprises
AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCEE) is the franchisor and operator of 4,072 restaurants, bakeries and cafes as of December 29, 2002 in the United States, Puerto Rico and 33 foreign countries under the brand names Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, Church's Chicken(tm), Cinnabon(r), Seattle's Best Coffee(r) and Torrefazione Italia(r) Coffee. AFC's primary objective is to be the world's Franchisor of Choice(r) by offering investment opportunities in highly recognizable brands and exceptional franchisee support systems and services. AFC Enterprises had system-wide sales of approximately $2.7 billion in 2002 and can be found on the World Wide Web at www.afce.com.
- Fair Trade Certified(tm) is a pending trademark of TransFair USA.
- OCIA(r) is a registered trademark of the Organic Crop Improvement Association.