WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has been ranked No. 1 on Business Ethics magazine's 2006 list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has appeared on the prestigious list, steadily rising from No. 8 in 2003, to No. 5 in 2004, and No. 2 last year. The specialty coffee roaster is in good company on this year's list, sharing honors with businesses such as Hewlett-Packard (#2), The Timberland Company (#6), and Starbucks Corp. (#17).

Now in its 7th year, the '100 Best Corporate Citizens' list identifies companies among the Russell 1000, the S&P 500, and KLD's Domini 400 Social Index that excel at serving a variety of stakeholders. Firms are ranked on service in eight stakeholder categories: shareholders, governance, community, diversity, employees, environment, human rights, and product.

Business Ethics magazine notes in its '100 Best Corporate Citizens 2006' spring cover story that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters was cited for its 'meticulous attention to corporate social responsibility,' including its pioneering work in the Fair Trade movement, which provides coffee growers a fair price and a guaranteed minimum floor price for their crops.

Sales of Fair Trade Certified and organic coffee grew nearly twice as fast as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' line of conventional coffees in fiscal year 2005. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2006, Fair Trade Organic sales represented over 26% of the company's total coffee business, up 68% from the first quarter of the previous year. In October of 2005, McDonald's announced it would serve Fair Trade Certified Newman's Own Organics coffee (sourced and roasted exclusively by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters) in over 650 restaurants in the northeast U.S.

Robert Stiller, President and CEO of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. said he was honored to receive this recognition. 'There are so many companies creating positive change in the world. It's exciting to learn about the work that others are doing. We have a long history of supporting social and environmental causes, but we still have much to learn from others. This recognition by Business Ethics magazine is both very gratifying, and very humbling.'

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is a leader in the specialty coffee industry and offers over 100 coffee selections including estate, certified organic, Fair Trade Certified, signature blends, and flavored coffees that it sells under the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Newman's Own Organics brands. While the majority of Green Mountain Coffee's revenue is derived from its wholesale operations, the Company also operates a direct mail business and an e-commerce website (www.GreenMountainCoffee.com) from its Waterbury, Vermont headquarters. Each year the Company contributes at least five percent of its pre-tax profits to support socially responsible initiatives. Based on its performance, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has also been recognized for the past six years as one of Forbes Magazine's '200 Best Small Companies', and for the past two years as one of the Society of Human Resource Management's 'Best Medium Companies to Work for in America'.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Rick Peyser, 866-881-7475