Monarch Food Group, a national food company owned by U.S. Foodservice, will add five new coffee blends made from beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms to its Rituals coffee brand. Working with U.S. Foodservice distribution capabilities, restaurants, cafeterias, universities, and other foodservice establishments across the country, will be able to offer Rituals Estate roast, ground, and whole-bean coffees to their customers. The new product range includes the following blends: Café Venezia, Colombian Supreme Gold, Costa Rican, Guatemalan Antigua, and Sumatra Mandehling.
Coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms carries an independent seal of approval to ensure it has been produced in compliance with sustainability guidelines that protect the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities.

Monarch Food Group will offer the Rituals Estate coffee blends through U.S. Foodservice distribution locations across the country. According to Pat Mulhern, president of Monarch Food Group, “Sourcing beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms is just one facet of a comprehensive initiative at U.S. Foodservice that is enhancing operations, products, and communities for a more sustainable future.”

The amount of coffee purchased from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms has, on average, doubled every year for the past five years, reflecting the ever-increasing consumer interest in sustainability. About 39 percent of Americans claim to prefer “environmentally friendly” products, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the communications agency, Cone, LLC, and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.

In addition, 80 percent of those surveyed believe certification by third-party organizations can play an important role to oversee and ensure the accuracy of environmental messaging on products.

”By purchasing beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, U.S. Foodservice is helping to support sustainable farming in environmentally sensitive, coffee-growing regions,” says Rainforest Alliance president Tensie Whelan. “This commitment is not only good for the land but for the workers, the families and the communities who call it home.”