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SINGAPORE BUSINESS AWARDS 2012

THE ENTERPRISE AWARD 2011

THE COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF


BACKGROUND

Mel Elias has been instrumental in the strategic positioning and dynamic expansion of The
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, helping lead the company's growth from 60 to 835 stores worldwide
since 1997. As President and CEO, he is responsible for setting strategy and directing the day-
to-day operations of the companys global brand and business.

Mr. Elias has been with the company over 15 years, and has been President and CEO since
2008. He worked first in both the Singapore and Malaysia offices in business development. He
moved to the U.S. home office in 1999 as Director of Business Development, became VP of
Operations in 2000 and was COO from 2001 until assuming the President and CEO position in
2008.

Since becoming CEO, Mr. Elias has implemented fiscal and strategic initiatives that resulted in
tripling the company profits in less than three years. System-wide sales now exceed US$430
million (S$542 million). Most recently, he spearheaded the launch of two new growth platforms
for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in wholesale and single serve. Under his leadership, the
company has evolved from a specialty coffee and tea retailer into a dynamic global coffee and
tea brand and business, across all formats.

Prior to joining the company, Mr. Elias was the Director of Development for the Sunvic Group,
overseeing the development and operations for Tower Records and Sunvics The Coffee Bean
& Tea Leaf franchise in Malaysia and Singapore.
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Mr. Elias has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and the U.S. As a citizen of Singapore, he
attended United World College and completed his National Service. He completed his Law
studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Called to the
International Bar of the Middle Temple and the Bar of the High Court of the Republic of
Singapore, he practiced as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore from 1995 through1997.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, serves more than 100 million coffee and tea beverages
annually worldwide. It currently has 840 stores in 23 countries, including the United States,
Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Mexico and the Philippines. The company
opens a new store every 72 hours.


COMPANY PROFILE

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the oldest and largest privately-held chain of specialty coffee
and tea stores in the United States, was founded in 1963 by Herbert B. Hyman, known as the
founding father of gourmet coffee in California.

The Bean, as it is affectionately known, has become the model of a successful coffee and tea
company. Now nearly 50 years old, the brand has become an international icon with pop
culture cachet, due to its Los Angeles origins and popularity among celebrities.

The company expanded into Singapore in 1996, when the current company owners became
the first franchisees. After rapidly expanding in Singapore and Malaysia to 27 stores, they
bought out the company in 1998. Today there are 840 stores in 23 countries including
company owned and franchised stores.

From its earliest days, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has been known for the premium quality
of its coffee and tea, including proprietary roasts and blends. The company maintains direct
relationships with the finest small artisan coffee farms and private tea estates around the world
to ensure quality and exclusivity. The company prides itself on knowing where every bean and
leaf comes from.

Sourcing only the top1% of Arabica beans, the company hand blends and roasts its coffee in
small batches at its roasting and distribution facility in Camarillo, California, just north of Los
Angeles. And the company sources only hand-plucked, whole leaf tea, using just the top two
leaves and a bud, to make its numerous varieties of hand blended teas.

The company has a history of innovation, most notably the introduction of the Original Ice
Blended drink in 1989, which started the worldwide frozen coffee drink craze. Another
milestone was the creation of tea lattes, in particular the chai tea latte, in the late 1990s. Both
of these have become signature beverages of the brand and among the most popular offerings
in all The Coffee Bean stores.

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The companys most recent innovation came in December 2010 with the introduction of the
CBTL Single Serve Beverage System. Recognizing that most coffee is still consumed at
home plus the explosive growth of single serve coffee around the world, the company decided
to launch CBTL. Introduced in Singapore in March 2011 by Mr. Elias himself, CBTL makes
authentic espresso, coffee and tea and allows users to enjoy all their favorite beverages from
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf easily at home, at the touch of a button.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has a fundamental commitment to social responsibility. Its
Caring Cup program includes initiatives in origin countries that benefit both the growing
communities as well as the workers. Recent examples have ranged from providing cooking
stoves to tea estate workers in Darjeeling, India to providing funds to the Aid Lanka foundation
(formed after the 2004 tsunami to assist orphaned children) to helping fund educational
tutoring and skills training for underprivileged boys and girls in Ethiopia (via KIMSSA).

Other Caring Cup programs benefit the local communities in which the company does
business. In the U.S., one of the largest programs is an annual holiday season program that
benefits The Help Group, the largest non-profit in the U.S. serving kids with autism and related
disorders. Through the efforts of the companys team members and customers, The Coffee
Bean & Tea Leaf has donated nearly $1million over the past several years.