Farmer Brothers® Paul Thornton Has Been Elected New President Of Specialty Coffee Association Of America®

TORRANCE, Calif., April 9, 2013 - Farmer Bros. Co. (FARM) is proud to announce that the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) membership has elected Farmer Brothers Director of Coffee, Paul Thornton, as president of the SCAA, effective April 15, 2013. The SCAA is a nonprofit trade organization and the world-recognized leader in coffee knowledge development that is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary of its conference and exposition. Through his role as chairman of the SCAA board, Thornton will contribute his expertise and knowledge as a spokesperson for the SCAA, and work with coffee-producing countries and other coffee industry leaders throughout the world, such as with the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (SCAJ). Thornton was appointed vice president of the SCAA in 2012, after being elected by membership as 2nd vice president in 2011.

Thornton began his career in 1982 as a coffee roaster for Coffee Bean International®, one of the nation's largest coffee roasting wholesalers (a subsidiary of Farmer Brothers). He also has 23 years of volunteer time within the industry. Thornton and his team have developed standards within the industry that have been adopted worldwide. He has continued his profession by co-founding the Roaster's Guild, an SCAA trade guild; and the Northwest Roaster's Group, a team set up to teach people within the Northwest roasting, cupping and general coffee techniques. Thornton has spent much of his career focused on developing relationships between specialty coffee growers and Coffee Bean International, in an effort to maintain a sustainable supply chain.

"Farmer Brothers has a long history of ensuring a healthy and thriving coffee industry.  We are excited for a new chapter with Paul's election to one of the top leadership positions in the industry," said Jonathan Waite, vice president of Strategic Coffee Sourcing at Farmer Brothers.

"It is truly an honor to be elected president of such a prestigious organization in the coffee industry. I have attended SCAA events since 1990, and during a conference early on in my career, I had aspired toward being a leader within this organization someday, and that wish has come true." Thornton went on to say, "For the past 30 years I have passionately worked to make an impact on people's lives who work in coffee and coffee consumers - from production teams to coffee growers, to coffee associates within the industry, and to consumers of the customers we sell coffee to. In this position I hope to continue to make positive strides to improve all aspects of the coffee industry."

Farmer Brothers has some of the top experts in the coffee industry guiding the creation of their specialty coffee brands: the Artisan Collection by Farmer Brothers™, private label specialty coffee brands and Public Domain™, a high-end specialty coffeehouse in Portland, Ore., overseen by Thornton. The coffee team at Farmer Brothers has more than 100 years of combined green coffee purchasing experience and relationships at origin, and currently sources coffee from more than 20 countries. Farmer Brothers also has the largest SCAA certified coffee lab in the foodservice industry.

"As a leader in the coffee industry, Paul brings a wealth of industry knowledge not only to Farmer Brothers but to the category as a whole," said Mike Keown, president and chief executive officer of Farmer Brothers. "Paul diligently works to help communities by broadening awareness for green coffee initiatives and sustainable practices."

Farmer Brothers will participate in the 25th Annual SCAA Exposition, April 11-14 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.Farmer Brothers at booth #454 to sample its handcrafted coffee: the Artisan Collection by Farmer Brothers™. For more information about Farmer Brothers and its products and services, please visit www.FarmerBros.com.

About Farmer Brothers:

Farmer Brothers has been a leading manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor of a variety of high-quality coffees, teas, spices and culinary products to foodservice establishments and retailers nationwide since 1912. Farmer Brothers is passionate about handcrafting authentic specialty coffee - from selecting the beans, to roasting, to packaging for freshness, to presentation and brewing. Every process and detail of our business is designed to deliver the best quality coffee to our customers. The process starts at origin, and ends at great beverage execution.

Farmer Brothers has three roasting facilities, one of which is LEED® Silver Certified, and five distribution centers across the country.

The company's primary brands include Farmer Brothers®, Artisan Collection by Farmer Brothers™, Superior®, Metropolitan™, Cain's® and McGarvey®. Farmer Brothers also produces products that are RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED™, CERTIFIED ORGANIC and FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED™. For more information, please visit www.FarmerBros.com.

About the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA):

The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is a non-profit trade organization and the world-recognized leader in coffee knowledge development. With over 9,000 members located in more than 40 countries, including member companies and their employees, SCAA members represent every segment of the specialty coffee industry, including producers, roasters, importers/exporters, retailers, manufacturers, baristas and other industry professionals. For over 30 years, the SCAA has been dedicated to creating a vibrant specialty coffee community, recognizing, developing and promoting specialty coffee by setting and maintaining quality standards for the industry; conducting research on coffee consumption, brewing and perfection of craft; and providing education, training, resources and business services for its members.www.scaa.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Beth Munnelly
Salt Communications
203-428-4512 x204
bmunnelly@saltcomm.com

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