CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 2006-- Millstone Coffee, a division of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), announced today the introduction of three new roasts that are both Organic and Fair Trade Certified: Organic Nicaraguan Mountain Twilight Blend(TM), a medium-dark roast with a delightful aroma and smooth, rich taste; Organic Deep Peruvian Forest Blend(TM) a dark roast with lightly floral acidity and a clean finish; and Organic Mayan Black Onyx Blend(TM), the darkest roast of the three, with a smooth, bittersweet taste. All Millstone organic, socially responsible roasts have been grown and processed under specific organic, social and environmental standards established by the certifying organizations(1). They all meet consumers' desires for excellent taste, having been carefully chosen by Millstone to meet its high standard of using only the finest Arabica beans. The new blends will be available in whole bean bulk coffee bins and can be found in the Millstone coffee section of supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide in July 2006.

The three new blends join the current Millstone line-up of more than 40 Millstone premium roasts and flavored coffees, including Organic Mountain Moonlight(TM) Fair Trade Certified and Rainforest Reserve(TM) Rainforest Alliance Certified(TM) roasts. Consumer demand for Organic and Fair Trade Certified coffees has led to increased coffee industry purchase in recent years - from approximately 76,000 pounds in 1998 to more than 25 million pounds in 2005(2). However, Fair Trade Certified coffee is often sold through coffee shops, specialty grocery stores, and online. Millstone is already one of the largest gourmet coffee roasters to sell Fair Trade Certified and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee nationwide at mainstream grocery stores. The expansion of its organic, socially responsible roasts underscores Millstone's commitment to offering this choice to a greater number of coffee consumers.

"A growing number of consumers are looking for choices in products and services that reflect their social and environmental values," said Doug McGraw, Vice President, Global Coffee, Procter & Gamble. "Not only is Millstone offering coffee lovers more in organic, socially responsible varieties, we're making those products available in mainstream grocery stores throughout the United States.".

Earlier this year, Millstone introduced a new look designed to help the consumer navigate the coffee aisle. With more than 40 blends available in both caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties, the new Millstone packaging is color-coded to allow for easy distinction between flavored (blue), non-flavored (burgundy), decaffeinated(green) and organic, socially responsible (light-green) varieties. Each bag is further differentiated with clearly labeled text and icons to distinguish between "ground" and "whole bean" offerings.

"At Millstone, we know that there is nothing more frustrating than to get home with a bag of decaffeinated coffee when you wanted full strength, or a flavored variety when you were looking for an original roast," said Jeana Townsend, Marketing Director of Procter & Gamble Specialty Coffee. "By offering bags that are clearly distinguishable by color, we help shoppers walk away from the coffee aisle with the right bag of coffee every time."

In addition to the newly redesigned prepacked coffee bags, Millstone also rolled out the same new look for its whole bean bulk offerings. The new bin labels, as well as the newly redesigned brand website millstone.com maintain the distinct, color-coded themes of Millstone prepacked bags allowing consumers to easily distinguish between their favorite Millstone varieties.

(1) About the certifications:

USDA Organic Certification

Organic certified means that agricultural products have been grown and processed according to USDA's national organic standards and certified by Quality Certification Services (QCS), USDA Accredited Certifier. Certifying agents review applications from farmers and processors for certification eligibility, and qualified inspectors conduct annual onsite inspections of their operations. Inspectors talk with operators and observe their production and processing practices to determine if they are in compliance with organic standards that, for example, prohibit synthetic pesticide use in crop production. For more information please visit usda.org.

Fair Trade Certification

The Fair Trade Certified(TM) label is a guarantee to consumers that coffee farmers receive a fair price (higher than average) for their higher quality coffees, enabling over 1 million farming families worldwide to stay on their land, keep food on the table, and keep their children in school. Annual inspections require sustainable farming methods that protect the environmental, and measurable socio-economic development using increased Fair Trade revenue. As members of democratically elected cooperatives, Fair Trade coffee farmers learn how to bootstrap their businesses, trade directly with importers and compete in the global marketplace. The Fair Trade Certified label is backed by TransFair USA, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization and the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products for the U.S. market. For more information please visit transfairusa.org.

(2) Numbers refer to Organic Certified and Fair Trade Certified coffee, and were provided by TransFair USA.

About P&G

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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