Mel Elias, President & CEO of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2013 finalist in Greater Los Angeles

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May 16, 2013, 07:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP announced that Mel Elias, President & CEO of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013 as the oldest and largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States, was named a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®2013 program in the Greater Los Angeles region. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Award winners will be announced at a special gala on Tuesday, June 18th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.

Now in its 27th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards are nationally sponsored in the United States by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In Greater Los Angeles, platinum sponsors include Marsh, Scherzer International, Smart Business, Union Bank and silver sponsors include Acacia Wealth Advisors, Avison Young, The Big Picture, CresaPartners and Strategic Equity Group.

About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®
Born and brewed in Southern California since 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the oldest and largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States. Embodying a passion for connecting loyal customers to one another with carefully handcrafted products, the company is known for sourcing and providing the finest ingredients and flavors from around the world. For 50 years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has demonstrated a passion for product innovation epitomized by The Original Ice Blended® beverage. The company has grown to be an international icon and currently has over 900 stores in more than 28 countries. In 2010, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® launched the CBTL® Single Serve Beverage System that allows consumers to make their favorite espresso, brewed coffee, tea and specialty beverages at home, at the touch of a button. For more information, please visit www.coffeebean.com or www.cbtl.com, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award recognizes the significant contributions of entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 167,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.
For more information, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf