SEATTLE, July 10, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- For coffee pioneer and Seattle's Best Coffee(r) (SBC) founder Jim Stewart, there is nothing as magical as the personal discovery of a great coffee like Los Cantares from Panama. The first of his 2003 Founder's Special Reserve Collection, Stewart hails Los Cantares as one of the great finds of the season and predicts this year's vintage of Central American varietals to be one of the best in recent memory.
"This coffee is part of my collection because it superbly demonstrates the true art of growing coffee -- the art of developing the flavor Mother Nature puts into the bean through rain, sun, and soil," said Stewart. "Los Cantares has the stand-alone character to become one of the world's great coffees."
With its medium brown roast and delicate flavor, Stewart considers Los Cantares distinctive enough to be enjoyed for breakfast, or even an after-dinner coffee. "Its flavor is crisp, bright and snappy," commented Stewart. "And as it rolls over the tongue and hits the roof of your mouth, it's like a buttery Chardonnay. What a coffee!"
This small, family-owned and operated coffee farm known as Finca Los Cantares was founded in 1923 and is situated at 4500 feet above sea level in the shadow of the now-dormant Baru Volcano in Panama's Chiriqui province. Its rich volcanic soil, high altitude, and abundance of shade trees combine to produce a memorable coffee of crisp flavor, gentle body, and balanced acidity.
With a suggested retail price of $11.95 per 12-ounce bag of whole bean coffee, Los Cantares is available in limited supply exclusively at Seattle's Best Coffee cafes beginning July 14.
About Seattle Coffee Company
Founded in 1970, Seattle Coffee Company, a subsidiary of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCEE), franchises and operates 234 Seattle's Best Coffee (www.seattlesbest.com) and 21 Torrefazione Italia(r) Coffee (www.titalia.com) cafes in nine countries as of May 18, 2003. The company has more than 12,000 wholesale points of distribution, including grocery stores, restaurants, foodservice locations, airlines and hotels.
About AFC Enterprises
AFC Enterprises, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of 4,131 restaurants, bakeries and cafes as of May 18, 2003 in the United States, Puerto Rico and 32 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.