Hills Bros. Coffee Launches As First MZB Brand Using BPI Certified 100 Percent Compostable Coffee Pods

American consumers were introduced to the first certified 100 percent compostable single-serve coffee pod on Earth Day (Friday, April 22) in Chicago. Hills Bros.® Coffee in certified 100 percent compostable pods officially goes on sale at Chicago retailers such as Jewel, Mariano’s, Copps, Woodman’s, and Pick ‘n Save, as well as online at Amazon.com and shopmzb.com

• In 2014 alone, more than 10 billion plastic single-serve cups were thrown into landfills
• The PURPOD100™, a coffee package developed by Club Coffee of Canada, is certified to break down in less than 84 days in municipal composting facilities, quickly and safely returning the product to the soil
• Certification by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) is what differentiates the new Hills Bros. coffee pods from competitors in the U.S. marketplace
• BPI Certified Compostable products have met rigorous independent testing and verification according to scientific standards for compostability
• Products or packaging with unverified “biodegradable” and “compostable” claims can be very misleading to the public, as well as municipalities and composting facilities expected to process those materials
• The BPI logo, which is displayed on certified compostable products and packaging, includes a unique ID number for each company that can be identified on BPI’s online catalog
• Owned by Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, Inc., Hills Bros.® coffee in the innovative PURPOD100 format is compatible with all Keurig® K-Cup® brewers.
• Website coffeecomposting.com contains educational videos, household tips, and links to sites about composting; helps consumers search for nearby composting facilities; teaches how consumers can advocate for more composting services in their areas

Hills Bros. ® Coffee will be offering fresh brewed coffee, memorabilia and single-serving samples at four separate sponsored Earth Day events in Chicago (while supplies last):

• Earth Day Metra Commuter Party, Friday, April 22, 7:30 to 9 a.m., (chance to win coffee for a year with 101.9 The Mix), at Metra Transportation Centers:
  Ogilvie—500 W. Madison St.
  Millennium—151 N. Michigan Ave.
• Clean Up The Parks hosted by Friends of the Park – Saturday, April 23, 2016, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Whistler Woods Forest Preserve
• Party for the Planet, Brookfield Zoo – Sunday, April 24, 2016 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• The Champion of Trees 10k Run hosted by the Morton Arboretum – Sunday April 24, 2016, 8 a.m. start, Morton Arboretum

About Massimo Zanetti Beverage

Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA is among the nation’s largest coffee roasters, with nationally recognized retail brands including Chock full o’Nuts®, Hills Bros.®, Segafredo Zanetti®, Kauai Coffee®, MJB® and Chase & Sanborn®. With its headquarters in Portsmouth, Virginia and state-of-the art manufacturing facility in Suffolk, Virginia, the company produces proprietary and private label coffee, tea and drink mix for customers in all retail and food service channels throughout North America and around the world. In addition, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA franchises Chock full o’Nuts® Coffee Shops and Segafredo Zanetti Espresso® Cafés. Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA is part of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, www.mzb-group.com, one of the world’s largest coffee group groups, comprised of nearly 40 companies operating in more than 35 countries. For more information, visit: www.mzb-usa.com.