For Immediate Release
August, 2002
Contact: Jason Belkin - (631) 726-2633

Hampton Coffee Company® Responds To Article
Critical Of Hamptons Charity Events

Letter To The Editor, Newsday:

Regarding this past Sunday's LI LIFE article about Hamptons Summer Charity Events, I feel that I have something to add about a side of these perennial Hamptons happenings that the article overlooked.

A very important part of these charity events are the local businesses that contribute door prizes, food, professional expertise, and volunteer time to help make these fundraisers a success.

Southampton-based Hampton Coffee Company proudly participates in dozens of community charity events annually. Not only do we donate three choices of freshly-roasted gourmet coffee, but we set-up an entire mobile Espresso Bar complete with espresso and cappuccino, gourmet tea, and homemade desserts.

Our employees then volunteer their time after a hard days work in one of our café and espresso bars to man the mobile Espresso Bar at the event. This is a very generous contribution on their part since a day of work at Hampton Coffee Company in the summer means getting up at 4am and finishing around 1 or 2pm. They go home for a few hours, take a nap and shower, and then come out to volunteer at the event, often not finishing until midnight, only to start work again at 4am that morning.

The only thing Hampton Coffee Company gets out of this is the chance to introduce some new people to our coffee and have the opportunity to make a small difference in our community. We do not charge the charity a cent and are always honored to be asked by local organizations to be a part of their events. And just because the summer is over, doesn't mean the fundraisers end, so our commitment to the community continues year-long. One of the most impressive winter events is the "Have-A-Heart" event each February.

Furthermore, of the dozens of fundraisers Hampton Coffee Company has participated in this summer, I have never heard the type of complaints that were noted in the article about the "food" or the quality of the event. In fact, Janet O'Brien Caterers is one of Hampton Coffee Company's wholesale coffee customers and offers amazing food.

Just this past Saturday, the Water Mill Village Improvement Association and others held their annual Sunset Fiesta at Villa Maria in the hamlet of Water Mill. There was a really good live band (everyone was dancing), auctions and raffles, amazing decorations, a classic car exhibition, some of the best sushi I've had, a fantastic raw bar, great food from Schmidt's in Southampton, plus an open bar by Southampton Publick House and the Espresso Bar by Hampton Coffee Company.

All the attendees that stopped by our Espresso Bar at this function and at all the others this summer were having a great time and were happy to be helping a worthy cause both financially and by showing their support for the organization by coming out. And isn't that what this is all about?

Sincerely yours,

Jason Belkin, co-owner
Hampton Coffee Company
Water Mill & Westhampton Beach
www.hamptoncoffeecompany.com