Aggressive Acquisition Strategy Leads Van Houtte to Become Number One Coffee Service Provider in Calgary

Montreal, Canada, November 14, 2001 -- Van Houtte Inc. (VH: TSE) announces the acquisition of Coffee Brew Services, Ltd., a leading office coffee operator located in Calgary, Alberta.

Coffee Brew Services, Ltd., has $4 million in revenue annually and was founded more than 20 years ago by Danny Leach. Coffee Brew Services, Ltd. will be a stand-alone operation of Van Houtte, and will continue to service its customers under the Coffee Brew Services, Ltd. name. Ron Thorgeirson, general manager, will continue to manage the operation, while existing staff will remain in their current positions. Coffee Brew Services, Ltd. has approximately 1,000 customers and 20 employees in the Calgary market.

"This acquisition further enhances our core business strategy of providing premiere coffee to consumers while also increasing our market share in North America," said Ron McArthur, executive vice president of acquisitions for the Van Houtte Coffee Services Division. "The Coffee Brew Services acquisition will increase our Canadian network sales, and position Van Houtte as the leading coffee service provider in the Calgary market."

The Coffee Services Division of Van Houtte, Inc., a pioneer and leader in providing single-cup technology in North America, includes the operations of Selena Coffee (Canada), Red Carpet (Canada) and Filterfresh (USA). This division comprises more than 100 corporate outlets and franchises across Canada, the U.S. and Eastern Europe. It is one of the largest coffee services organizations in North America, and number one in Canada.

About Van Houtte Inc. Founded in 1919, Van Houtte is one of North America's leading gourmet coffee roasters, marketers, and distributors. Van Houtte pools three complementary groups of expertise: roasting and marketing of gourmet coffees, office coffee services and the manufacturing of single-cup equipment. This enables Van Houtte to captivate North American consumers one cup at a time with Van Houtte's fine tasting coffees and innovating merchandising concepts. Van Houtte directly employs 1,800 people. For further information on Van Houtte, visit the Web site at www.vanhoutte.com.