Tully's Coffee® Kicks Off Third Year of Gathering Grounds™ Philanthropic Program

WATERBURY, Vt., April 23, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) (NASDAQ: GMCR) announced the third year of Tully’s Coffee® Gathering Grounds™ – an initiative committed to bringing people together through community gathering spaces.  This year’s program will include community revitalization projects in the San Diego area and Waterbury, Vt., and a national Facebook art contest running now through May 3, 2013. 

Tully’s® and Pomegranate Center: Revitalizing Community Spaces Together

Gathering Grounds™ is rooted in the Tully’s® brand philosophy that coffee is the ultimate community connector.  Since 2011, Tully’s has partnered with Pomegranate Center – a leading nonprofit dedicated to community design and development – to bring its commitment to local communities to life through the restoration of public spaces nationwide.  Together, Tully’s, Pomegranate Center, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers have built five gathering spaces – four in Seattle and one in Tuscaloosa, Ala. 

Beginning April 18, 2013, Tully’s and Pomegranate – with support from local partners and volunteers – will embark on their sixth build, revitalizing the National City area of San Diego through the transformation of Butterfly Park into an art-filled space for family and community gatherings.  In June, Tully’s and Pomegranate will come together again to restore space in the brand’s hometown of Waterbury, Vt.  

Calling All Artists: National Art Contest

To celebrate the meaning of community, Tully’s has also launched the Gathering Grounds Art Contest.  Now through May 3, 2013, artists of all abilities are encouraged to submit an original work of art and brief explanation of what community means to them at Facebook.com/TullysCoffee.  Award-winning artists David Lee CsicskoDavid Lee Csicsko, Kat Clear, and Tabbatha Henry will serve as lead judges and will help select two winners – one from a national pool of applicants and the other from Vermont.  Both winners will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize, $2,000 in building materials and invited to help bring a permanent art installation to life at the Waterbury build site in June.   

“The Tully’s brand is dedicated to creating public gathering spaces that celebrate local identity, bring neighbors together and ultimately lay the foundation for healthy community development,” says Karen Yacos, Director of Domestic Community Outreach, GMCR.  “This year’s Gathering Grounds program will not only empower two amazing communities to work together towards a common goal, but it will also enable two artists to share their idea of community with ours.”

Milenko Matanovic, Executive Director, Pomegranate Center, says, “We’re excited to once again join forces with Tully’s to imagine, plan, and create shared public places that will encourage social interaction and inspire community development.  This year, with the addition of the art contest, we look forward to visually manifesting two different perspectives on community in a place everyone can enjoy.”

Matanovic, Pomegranate Center’s lead designer, will serve as one of five judges in the Gathering Grounds Art Contest.  The remaining members of the judging panel were selected based on past experience and a passion for creating artwork that enhances community space.  In addition to Matanovic and a Tully’s representative, the esteemed panel includes:

• David Lee Csicsko, an internationally recognized artist best known for large-scale mosaic projects, including designing stained glass ornaments and 10-foot tall holiday tree sculptures for the White House’s 2012 holiday decorations;
• Kat Clear, a Burlington, Vt.-based metal sculptor known for public art installations across the Green Mountain State;
• Tabbatha Henry, a Waterbury, Vt.-based porcelain sculptor deeply involved in the area’s art movement.

The judges will evaluate entries based on the following criteria: demonstrates passion for enhancing the community through art; values spirit of collaboration and demonstrates willingness to join in a community building project; creativity/originality; and thoughtfulness.  To view official contest rules and to enter, visit Facebook.com/TullysCoffee.  To learn more about how Tully’s and Pomegranate Center have transformed everyday spaces into extraordinary gathering spots through Gathering Grounds, visit Tullys.com.

About Tully’s Coffee

Tully’s Coffee® is part of the family of brands within the Specialty Coffee business unit of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.  Established in Seattle, Tully’s® is known and valued for its slow roasting approach, and rich, full coffee flavor.  Tully’s coffees are available in bags and K-Cup® and Vue® packs for the Keurig® single cup brewing systems in supermarkets and specialty stores nationwide.  For more information, please visit www.Tullys.com.

About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

As a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) (NASDAQ: GMCR) is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices.  GMCR supports local and global communities, investing in sustainably-grown coffee and allocating a portion of its pre-tax profits to socially and environmentally responsible initiatives.  For more information, please visit www.GMCR.com, www.greenmountaincoffee.com, or www.keurig.com.

GMCR routinely posts information that may be of importance to investors in the Investor Relations section of its website, including news releases and its complete financial statements, as filed with the SEC.  The Company encourages investors to consult this section of its website regularly for important information and news.  Additionally, by subscribing to the Company's automatic email news release delivery, individuals can receive news directly from GMCR as it is released.

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About Pomegranate Center

Pomegranate Center empowers neighbors to design and build essential, effective and beautiful gathering places.  For 26 years, the Center's unique style of community building has combined hands-on learning and broad public participation with dynamic leadership development and a creative approach to collaboration.  Recognized for its success in transforming and connecting communities, Pomegranate Center now shares this work with as many communities as possible.  Through training and mentoring programs Pomegranate Center prepares community members and civic leaders to inspire and engage others to build stronger, healthier, more connected communities.