Marley Coffee Announces New National Sales Leadership

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marley Coffee (OTCBB: JAMN), a sustainably grown, ethically farmed and artisan roasted gourmet coffee, today announced the addition of Chris Hopkins as Senior Vice President of National Accounts.

In his new role, Hopkins, who has more than 20 years of food and beverage sales experience, will be responsible for continuing to expand distribution of Marley Coffee through supermarkets, specialty retailers and convenience stores throughout the United States.  Prior to joining Marley Coffee, Hopkins paved the way for Marley Beverages as SVP of National Accounts, securing distributions and partnerships with 80 of the top 100 retail outlets, including 7 Eleven, Kroger and Wegmans, which helped drive Marley's Mellow Mood first year sales of one million cases, which has grown to almost three million cases after two years in the market.

"I saw Chris' dedication and passion to see a brand grow, and grow quickly, through his tireless work to introduce Marley's Mellow Mood," said Rohan Marley, founder of Marley Coffee. "I'm happy we were able to convince Chris to join our team at Marley Coffee as we continue to build our retail distribution in the US and beyond."

"With Chris' proven track record in the food and beverage industry, and more recently with Marley Beverages, we're thrilled to have him join the Marley Coffee team," said Brent Toevs, CEO, Marley Coffee. "A huge opportunity to expand nationally lies with Chris, and after seeing him engage with buyers at National Products Expo East in Baltimore, we are confident in his ability to secure partnerships that make sense for the brand's growth."

In addition to his work with Marley Beverages, Hopkins spent 13 years at Dr Pepper Snapple Group (previously Cadbury Beverages), where he helped start and develop their category management team within their distribution network, and eventually into top national accounts. He also secured several, first ever, strategic partnerships with Kroger, Safeway, Target, Food Lion, and Meijer, where he placed teams on-site with retailers to help drive significant sales through translating consumer insights into action on shelving, pricing, innovation, and promotional strategies for most beverage categories. Hopkins has also worked with Fleming Foods and Kellogg Sales Company.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of the Marley Coffee movement, and expect to be able to take this brand to the next level nationally," said Hopkins. "I really believe in Marley Coffee's products and values, and I believe retailers will understand and appreciate the opportunity to carry Marley Coffee in their stores."

All Marley Coffee products live up to the Rastafari standards of ITAL, standing for all things Pure, True and Vital.  A portion of all sales of Marley Coffee supports Kicks for Cause and 1Love.org.  Started by Marley Coffee, Kicks for Cause aims to build playable soccer fields and soccer camps for children of coffee-producing communities in Jamaica.

To contact Chris or to make an appointment with him at the upcoming NACs show, you can email him at [email protected] or call him at (214) 202-1776.

About Marley Coffee 

Marley Coffee (corporate name Jammin Java Corp) is a US-based company that provides premium, artisan roasted coffee to the grocery, retail, online, service, hospitality, office coffee service and big box store industry. Under its exclusive licensing agreement with 56 Hope Road, the company continues to develop its coffee lines under the Marley Coffee brand. Marley Coffee is a fully reporting company quoted on the OTCBB under the symbol JAMN.  Learn more at www.MarleyCoffee.com, visit the corporate website at www.JamminJavaCorp.com, join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MarleyCoffee, and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/marleycoffee.

Chris Hopkins is hired on as Senior Vice President of National Accounts in a non-executive officer position.

Learn more about other Marley Family ventures by visiting The House of Marley at www.thehouseofmarley.com, Marley Beverage Company at www.MarleyBeverages.com, and 1Love.org at www.1love.org.

For general sales inquiries, please contact [email protected] or call the company at 323-556-0746.

Forward-Looking Statement:

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Acts").  In particular, the words "believe," "may," "could," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "propose," "plan," "intend," and similar conditional words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and are subject to the safe harbor created by these Acts.  Any statements made in this news release about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements.  Such statements are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.  Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.  These risks and others are included from time to time in documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks.  Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on our future results.  Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.  Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.  The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof.  The Company takes no obligation to update or correct its own forward-looking statements, except as required by law or those prepared by third parties that are not paid by the Company.  The Company's SEC filings are available at http://www.sec.gov.

Media: Mike Rosen or Vanessa Giacoppo
516-767-9653
[email protected]

Investors: Stuart T. Smith
512-267-2430
[email protected]

SOURCE Marley Coffee