Coffee Reserve Brands and P.F. Chang's China Bistro Support the Rainforest Alliance

Online, June 23, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Sustainability has become an increasingly important issue, especially as it relates to protecting and maintaining global environments - from California farmlands to the fertile coffee growing regions across the world. Two Phoenix-based companies have joined together in their commitment to supporting the Rainforest Alliance, an organization with strict guidelines established to protect rainforest environments, workers and wildlife. P.F. Chang's China Bistro and Coffee Reserve Brands have had a working relationship for the past twelve years, and two years ago P.F. Chang's made the decision to serve only Rainforest Alliance coffees provided by Coffee Reserve in their bistros.

Because of their passion for maintaining a thriving world coffee community, Coffee Reserve understands the importance of procuring agriculturally sustainable coffees certified by the Rain Forest Alliance. The company wants their coffees to reflect their values, by enhancing the lives of others and preserving the environment. Mary Melton of P.F. Chang's explains that the Coffee Reserve culture is a vital part of the successful relationship with the local coffee purveyor. "It parallels what we are trying to do," she says. "They have great quality, excellent coffee and tea, and they are a very passionate company with a great deal of integrity."

Supporting the Rainforest Alliance is so important to both companies because the Alliance partners with the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) to certify coffee and other products produced within their strict guidelines, which protect the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities. The Rainforest Alliance has worked within the communities and with experts in science, agriculture and the environment to develop farm-management guidelines that maintain important traditions and eco-friendly practices, while maintaining a growing awareness of social responsibility and ensuring economic sustainability.

Although Coffee Reserve had been the coffee provider for P.F. Chang's for years, Melton says it became clear that with a growing awareness of world issues, P.F. Chang's wanted to ensure that the company's decisions would have a positive impact. "We started to strive to make those decisions with a different thought process," she explains. When it came to committing to buying only Rainforest Alliance coffees, Melton says, "Of course as these issues became more visible and the kind of decisions we needed to make became clear, then it was really important."

Of course, serving socially and environmentally responsible coffee is great in theory, but both companies are dedicated to bringing the best in taste and quality to their customers. Coffee Reserve's passion for procuring the finest coffees and roasting them to perfection is the cornerstone of their company, and Melton is well aware of the exceptional caliber of the coffee. "It's amazing how much people love our coffee," she admits. At P.F. Chang's everyone from the CEO to the servers takes pride in the fact that the great tasting coffee is also Rainforest Alliance certified.

The relationship between the two companies has grown over the years, as P.F. Chang's has expanded and opened new locations, but Melton says their joint dedication to this cause has added a new dimension to the bond. "Once something like the Rainforest Alliance became important, we began growing together." Through the experience of working with Coffee Reserve's deep-rooted values, she says, "That's where we like to work and how we like to choose the companies that we want to buy from."