Coffees With A Cause: Van Houtte Now Offers Fair Trade And Organic Coffees To Post-secondary Institutions

Montreal Gourmet Coffee Roaster Leading The Way in Providing Socially and Environmentally Responsible Coffees To Colleges and Universities

MONTREAL (Wednesday, October 26, 2005) - Van Houtte Inc. (TSX: VH.SV), one of North America’s leading gourmet coffee roasters, is pleased to announce that its new line of Fair Trade and Organic coffees, recently launched in colleges and universities in Quebec, is now available for distribution to post-secondary institutions across the country.

“Over the past several years, we’ve noticed that students and schools in this country are demanding a more socially and environmentally responsible alternative to the food and beverages that are being sold in their respective institutions,” said Joseph Audi, Van Houtte’s Director of Marketing.

“With our new line of Fair Trade and Organic coffees, that are also available to hotels and restaurants across the country, students now have the option they’ve been looking for.”

As certified Fair Trade Coffees, all of the coffees in Van Houtte’s new line are made with beans that are purchased through direct trade from cooperatives or small coffee farmers at a price that reflects a living wage and under trading conditions that are sustainable for producers as well as buyers.

The stable price and credit that these coffee farmers receive help them maintain and improve the quality of their coffee. And since most of the coffees are organic, the beans are produced using environmentally friendly methods.

Van Houtte’s Fair Trade and organic coffees are Fair Trade certified by TransFair, an organization that contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions for workers and producers in developing countries.

The coffees currently available in the new line include:

• 100% Colombia Dark Roast – Fair Trade and Organic
• Mexico Dark Roast – Fair Trade and Organic
• Peru Medium Roast – Fair Trade and Organic
• Amazonia Medium Roast – Fair Trade and Organic
• Decaffeinated Medium Roast – Fair Trade and Organic
• Crème Caramel Medium Roast – Fair Trade

To complement Van Houtte’s Fair Trade and Organic Fair Trade offering in Quebec, Van Houtte has launched the Bursary in Cup program.

This new initiative gives Quebec CEGEP and university students the chance to take part of an educational bursary by purchasing a stainless steel thermal coffee mug from participating schools across the province.

The program also encourages students to “think green” since the mugs can significantly reduce the unsightly waste of disposable coffee cups and plastic lids.

The thermal mugs, which can hold up to 500 ml of coffee, are sold at participating university and CEGEP cafeterias for $3.73 each, including the first cup of coffee.

Van Houtte will donate 50 cents per mug to the CEGEP or university where the cup was sold to be distributed as student bursaries.

For more information on Van Houtte’s new line of Fair Trade and Organic coffees and other services available to post-secondary institutions, please visit http://www.vanhoutte.com/en/services/coffee/ or call toll free 1-877-593-7722.

Van Houtte, one of North America’s leading gourmet coffee companies, has been producing superior-tasting coffee using traditional European, small-batch roasting methods for 85 years.

As a provider of total coffee solutions, Van Houtte sells the coffee it selects, roasts and packages for home, retail and office customers.

Van Houtte also manufactures and markets state-of-the-art brewing equipment for both home and office use.

As North America’s largest fully-integrated gourmet coffee company with over 75 coffee service branches across North America and over 70 cafés in Quebec, Van Houtte serves more than 3,000,000 cups of coffee every day in major cities throughout Canada and the US.

About Van Houtte Inc.

Founded in 1919, Van Houtte is one of North America’s leading gourmet coffee roasters, marketers and distributors.

The Company markets its gourmet coffees across Canada and the US through distribution channels that include: coffee services, retail stores, cafés, online shopping and food services networks. The company Web site is www.vanhoutte.com.

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For information:

Paul Zanettos
Thornley Fallis Communications
(416) 515-7517 ext. 227
zanettos@thornleyfallis.com

Karen Oliveira
Thornley Fallis Communications
(416) 515-7517 ext. 236
oliveira@thornleyfallis.com

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