Partner Press Releases

ForesTrade Announces Start-up of New Organic & ISO 9000 Processing Facility for Tropical Spices and Essential Oils

January 17, 2007 -- ForesTrade, Inc., headquartered in Brattleboro, Vermont announces the opening of their new state of the art, Organic and ISO 9000 certified processing facility in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Operation of the new facility is scheduled to begin March 2007 and will significantly increase ForesTrade's production capacity, further positioning the Company to meet a growing international demand for these specialty products.

In a strategic joint venture between ForesTrade and their Indonesian essential oils' processor, the new 40,000 square foot processing complex will process and warehouse organic tropical spices, essential oils and CO2 supercritical spice extracts. The new facility will also adhere to strict quality control measures, having put in place a comprehensive HACCP plan and complying with ISO 9000 certification.

Founded in 1996, ForesTrade has rapidly become the world's leading producer and distributor of tropical organic spices. "Our new Indonesian processing facility will enable ForesTrade to remain a competitive leader in the rapidly growing market for quality organic spices and essential oils," explained Fred Johnson, ForesTrade's new CEO. "We made this strategic business decision recognizing that the organic marketplace continues to expand and evolve. Our new processing facility will enable ForesTrade to grow with the market and to meet higher customer expectations for both service and quality."

Key aspects of ForesTrade's new processing facility include:

• Organic certification compliant with USDA, EU 2092/91 and IFOAM standards.
• ISO 9000 certification, a comprehensive HACCP plan and extensive employee training.
• Design of processing equipment built to specification for ForesTrade's products.
• Implementation of a solar drying system for processing spices.
• Development of ecologically sound water and waste management systems.
• Replanting and landscaping to create a model for organic and sustainable farming.
• Use of renewable energy.

"We are all very excited about this new processing facility, which will allow us to process our products more efficiently," said Lucia Lie, Director of PT. ForesTrade Indonesia. "The new plant also incorporates green technologies, so as to minimize our impact on the environment." Lucia went on to extend an invitation to ForesTrade's customers. "We invite you to come to Indonesia to see firsthand how ForesTrade integrates sustainable development with good business practices."

Construction of the new processing facility was made possible by a significant grant from the Dutch Government's Agency for International Business and Cooperation (EVD). EVD awarded this grant to ForesTrade as a result of the Company's strong business presence in The Netherlands through ForesTrade Europa BV.

ForesTrade, Inc. is an industrial supplier of organic tropical spices, Fair Trade coffee and essential oils. The Company has offices in The United States, The Netherlands, Indonesia and Guatemala.