WESTWOOD, MASS. - Feb. 13, 2001 - In an effort to consolidate its operations on the Eastern seaboard, Filterfresh Corp. has announced an agreement to form a new joint venture by acquiring a percentage of the assets of Filterfresh Philadelphia and Filterfresh Delaware Valley. The merged territories will be called Filterfresh Delaware Valley.

"We are thrilled to consolidate our presence in the Philadelphia market. We have watched as this team strengthened the Filterfresh brand and look forward to the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our growth," said Roger Cohen, vice president of Filterfresh's franchise division.

Started in 1994 by Mike Bloom of Advanced Coffee Concepts, brothers Jon and Howard Peck of Peck & Peck Enterprises and Stu Winnick, the greater Philadelphia market included a Filterfresh Philadelphia franchise, a Filterfresh Delaware Valley franchise and a Filterfresh Lehigh Valley franchise. At the time of acquisition, Jon Peck managed Filterfresh Delaware Valley, while Winnick oversaw the Philadelphia market and Bloom supervised Filterfresh Lehigh Valley.

As a result of the merger, the Peck brothers have reunited and will be responsible for continuing to develop the greater Philadelphia market and the territories comprising the new joint venture. Bloom will retain his position developing the still independent Lehigh Valley franchise, while Winnick has decided not to stay with the company.

Filterfresh Corp., based in Westwood, Mass., is a subsidiary of Van Houtte Inc., one of North America's leading gourmet coffee roasters, marketers and distributors. The company, a pioneer in single-cup coffee makers, provides state-of-the-art equipment, beverages, programs and services to offices, manufacturing facilities, supermarkets, hotels, retailers and other places of employment.