Organic Essentials Wins Texas Department of Agriculture Grant:

Growing Cotton Sustainably

O�Donnell, Texas (April 21, 2003) Organic Essentials, Inc. has been awarded a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture GoTexan Program and will be educating consumers about organic cotton and organic cotton products throughout the spring and summer of 2003. The GoTexan Grant provides funds for the development of promotional and educational programs designed to increase consumer awareness and expand the markets of Texas Agricultural Products.

Organic Essentials� target will be to reach 150,000 consumers throughout the country with educational materials about the benefits of growing cotton organically and using organic cotton products. �With support from �GoTexan� and similar programs, we believe that organic fiber can catch up with organic food, which is already at 2% of the market. Think of what that means for sustainable agriculture in America.� comments Organic Essentials President LaRhea Pepper. She adds, �Not only do we want consumers to understand the necessity of farming cotton organically as we do in our cooperative in west

, we want them to purchase organic cotton products to support this important movement.� The company will provide contact information on retail points for consumers to purchase these products.

Joining Organic Essentials as co-sponsors for the 2003 consumer education program are the following companies, which are demonstrating their commitment to sustainable values: Nike, Patagonia, Indigenous Designs, Kate Scott, Under the Canopy, Maggie�s Clean Clothes, Glad Rags, Cotton Plus, Organics for Massage and Gaiam.

with 10,000 acres, grows all of the cotton used in Organic Essentials products. Unlike traditional cotton farmers, the cooperative does not use pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and defoliants that are harmful to the environment. TOCMC owns Organic Essentials, a manufacturer of organic cotton personal care products such as tampons, pads and swabs, and Cotton Plus, a supplier of organic cotton fabric.

Organic Essentials� mission is to expand organic agriculture by building the world�s leading brand of certified organic cotton personal care products.