Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. Outlines Its Efforts to Support Thriving People and Communities

Fiscal 2012 Sustainability Report Spotlights Domestic Grants and Employee Volunteerism
Apr 15, 2013 8:00 AM ET

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) recently released its Fiscal 2012 Sustainability Report, outlining the Company's environmental and social performance. The report unveils a new focus on three specific practice areas: Resilient Supply Chain, Sustainable Products, and Thriving People and Communities. The following is a more in-depth look at GMCR's efforts to support thriving people and communities.

We have grown substantially since we opened our doors in 1981 as a small café in Waitsfield, Vermont, adding new brands, technology, employees, and operations. Throughout our growth, we have continued to articulate and reinforce our purpose: to create the ultimate coffee experience in every life we touch — from tree to cup — transforming the way the world understands business. 

Our employees share GMCR’s common purpose and are motivated to help us achieve our goals. We focus on developing our people and engaging them in meaningful ways that go beyond their day-to-day jobs. We enable our colleagues to advance their careers and provide growth opportunities that benefit both the individual and GMCR as a whole. We cultivate an environment that encourages and supports giving back, and we engage many of our employees in doing so.

When our people thrive, our business thrives. And so do our communities.

GMCR has a deep and proud history of creating positive and sustainable change for communities and the environment in the places where we operate. We support local communities and nonprofits through grants, volunteerism, and product donation programs that are designed to benefit our communities, engage our employees, and strengthen our business. 

Some other key accomplishments in fiscal 2012 include:

  • Maintaining an employee retention rate of approximately 90%
  • Sixty-five percent of full-time employees volunteering through a company-sponsored program called Café Time, which allows employees up to 52 paid hours per year to volunteer
  • Granting over $2.8 million to local communities in the U.S. and Canada