Caribou Coffee first started working with the Rainforest Alliance in 2003, as the Midwest-based coffee retailer began its highly engaged, field to cup practice. Last April, Caribou Coffee announced an aggressive goal of sourcing 100 percent of the coffee across all their products from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms by the end of 2011. To obtain a thorough understanding of the Rainforest Alliance certification process, Caribou Coffee's Senior Director of Coffee and Tea, Chad Trewick, travels around the world to source the highest-quality beans from the best growing regions. While visiting various points of origin, Trewick meets one-on-one with farmers to cultivate a special relationship and build a mutual understanding of the economic and social impacts that come from achieving Rainforest Alliance certification. "Reaching 100 percent certification is a significant accomplishment for Caribou Coffee," said Trewick in a prepared statement.