diff --git a/kafka/conn.py b/kafka/conn.py
index 4fdeb17c7..90dee4c72 100644
--- a/kafka/conn.py
+++ b/kafka/conn.py
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ def __init__(self, host, port, timeout=DEFAULT_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_SECONDS):
 
         self.reinit()
 
+    def __getnewargs__(self):
+        return (self.host, self.port, self.timeout)
+
     def __repr__(self):
         return "<KafkaConnection host=%s port=%d>" % (self.host, self.port)
 
@@ -135,6 +138,7 @@ def copy(self):
         """
         c = copy.deepcopy(self)
         c._sock = None
+        c._dirty = True
         return c
 
     def close(self):
diff --git a/kafka/producer.py b/kafka/producer.py
index 12a293401..37409121b 100644
--- a/kafka/producer.py
+++ b/kafka/producer.py
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 import logging
 import time
 
-from Queue import Empty
+from Queue import Empty, Queue
 from collections import defaultdict
 from itertools import cycle
-from multiprocessing import Queue, Process
+from threading import Thread
 
 from kafka.common import ProduceRequest, TopicAndPartition
 from kafka.partitioner import HashedPartitioner
@@ -26,13 +26,8 @@ def _send_upstream(queue, client, batch_time, batch_size,
     Listen on the queue for a specified number of messages or till
     a specified timeout and send them upstream to the brokers in one
     request
-
-    NOTE: Ideally, this should have been a method inside the Producer
-    class. However, multiprocessing module has issues in windows. The
-    functionality breaks unless this function is kept outside of a class
     """
     stop = False
-    client.reinit()
 
     while not stop:
         timeout = batch_time
@@ -120,17 +115,17 @@ def __init__(self, client, async=False,
 
         if self.async:
             self.queue = Queue()  # Messages are sent through this queue
-            self.proc = Process(target=_send_upstream,
-                                args=(self.queue,
-                                      self.client.copy(),
-                                      batch_send_every_t,
-                                      batch_send_every_n,
-                                      self.req_acks,
-                                      self.ack_timeout))
-
-            # Process will die if main thread exits
-            self.proc.daemon = True
-            self.proc.start()
+            self.thread = Thread(target=_send_upstream,
+                                 args=(self.queue,
+                                       self.client.copy(),
+                                       batch_send_every_t,
+                                       batch_send_every_n,
+                                       self.req_acks,
+                                       self.ack_timeout))
+
+            # Thread will die if main thread exits
+            self.thread.daemon = True
+            self.thread.start()
 
     def send_messages(self, topic, partition, *msg):
         """
@@ -159,10 +154,7 @@ def stop(self, timeout=1):
         """
         if self.async:
             self.queue.put((STOP_ASYNC_PRODUCER, None))
-            self.proc.join(timeout)
-
-            if self.proc.is_alive():
-                self.proc.terminate()
+            self.thread.join(timeout)
 
 
 class SimpleProducer(Producer):
diff --git a/test/test_unit.py b/test/test_unit.py
index 8c0dd004f..1ed69358b 100644
--- a/test/test_unit.py
+++ b/test/test_unit.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 from mock import MagicMock, patch
 
 from kafka import KafkaClient
+from kafka.conn import KafkaConnection
 from kafka.common import (
     ProduceRequest, FetchRequest, Message, ChecksumError,
     ConsumerFetchSizeTooSmall, ProduceResponse, FetchResponse,
@@ -670,5 +671,49 @@ def test_send_produce_request_raises_when_noleader(self, protocol, conn):
             LeaderUnavailableError,
             client.send_produce_request, requests)
 
+class TestKafkaConnection(unittest.TestCase):
+    @patch('socket.socket')
+    def test_copy(self, socket):
+        """KafkaConnection copies work as expected"""
+
+        conn = KafkaConnection('kafka', 9092)
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 1)
+
+        copy = conn.copy()
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 1)
+        self.assertEqual(copy.host, 'kafka')
+        self.assertEqual(copy.port, 9092)
+        self.assertEqual(copy._sock, None)
+        self.assertEqual(copy._dirty, True)
+
+        copy.reinit()
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 2)
+        self.assertNotEqual(copy._sock, None)
+        self.assertNotEqual(copy._dirty, True)
+
+    @patch('socket.socket')
+    def test_copy_thread(self, socket):
+        """KafkaConnection copies work in other threads"""
+
+        err = []
+        copy = KafkaConnection('kafka', 9092).copy()
+
+        from threading import Thread
+        def thread_func(err, copy):
+            try:
+                self.assertEqual(copy.host, 'kafka')
+                self.assertEqual(copy.port, 9092)
+                self.assertNotEqual(copy._sock, None)
+            except Exception, e:
+                err.append(e)
+            else:
+                err.append(None)
+        thread = Thread(target=thread_func, args=(err, copy))
+        thread.start()
+        thread.join()
+
+        self.assertEqual(err, [None])
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 2)
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()