From the hallowed halls of the fictitious setting of “Swiss Water University”, Professor Jones tackles the subject of Decaf Education in a humorous and informative video that has been produced by Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company, Inc. (SWDCC) and will be distributed to coffee industry partners and consumers, beginning in August. The video, which will be available for viewing at swisswater.com in both Windows Media Player and QuickTime formats, will serve as the centerpiece for the company’s Decaf Education Program, which began two years ago. An e-bulletin directly linking to the video will be sent at the beginning of August to alert trade partners and consumers to the new resource.

SWDCC believes its customers and potential customers—specifically roasters, retailers and baristas—will find the video informative and entertaining. In the Web-based video, the character Professor Jones provides a clear description of how the SWISS WATER® Process works in comparison to chemical decaffeination methods. One of the goals of the SWISS WATER® Decaffeination Process 101 class is to help empower baristas to knowledgeably respond to consumer inquiries regarding decaffeination. In addition, SWDCC hopes to further establish the company as the authority in decaf while reinforcing its brand identity.

“It’s the company’s goal to explain, in a clear manner, the methods of decaffeination to consumers and roasters,” says Frank Dennis, president and CEO of the company. “SWDCC wants its customers to be able to understand, in depth, the SWISS WATER® Process coffee they are working with. SWDCC has always believed that knowledge is power and the materials produced will broadcast that knowledge.”

Information about the typical decaf consumer is also included in the video, in addition to an explanation of why the decaf market is growing and what SWDCC is doing to support the growth.  The video includes SWDCC’s new “Power of Water” TV spot, and mentions the SWISS WATER® Licensed Vendor program, which provides roasters and retailers with exclusive access to Point of Sale material, enhancing their ability to promote decaf in-store.      

“The purpose of SWDCC’s decaf merchandising efforts is to simply tell the truth about decaf and the methods of decaffeination,” explains Ben Hieltjes, VP, sales at SWDCC. “SWDCC retailers have found that once they tell their customers that SWISS WATER® is chemical free, people get interested.”

SWDCC first developed a print piece, the “Decaf Education Guide,” in 2002, which was targeted toward baristas. The guide was well-received, and after incorporating trade feedback and internal learning, a more comprehensive decaffeinated coffee education program was initiated in mid-2003. The Decaf Education Guide was completely overhauled and relaunched, giving it a more graphical and easy-to-read layout while making it more informative. In response to interest expressed by trade customers, SWDCC decided the next step was to create a Decaf Education Video to expand on information presented in the revised guide.

About Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company, Inc.
Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company, Inc. (SWDCC) decaffeinates premium coffees to a 99.9% caffeine-free level. The SWISS WATER® Process is an organically certified, 100% chemical-free, proprietary decaffeination process used by premium roasters and demanded by discerning decaf drinkers around the world. The SWISS WATER® Process is the world's only branded decaffeination process and SWDCC supports its brand through ongoing consumer research and focused consumer advertising. For more information about SWDCC or brokers and roasters that carry SWISS WATER® Process decaf, visit www.swisswater.com.