BOGOTA, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wal-Mart announced today an expanded selection of Colcafe coffee products for Wal-Mart's Sam's Choice gourmet coffee program. In addition to the 100 percent Colombian coffee that Wal-Mart already carries, 3,500 Walmart stores in the United States will also now carry Colombian French Roast, House Blend, Espresso Roast, and Breakfast Blend varieties. Coffee is the second largest commodity in the world, topped only by oil.
"We are excited to carry even more of Colombia's quality coffee products in our stores," said Adonai Leiva, director of Sourcing, Private Brands, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "Demand for this high quality and distinctive tasting coffee is strong, and we know our customers will be pleased with the additional Colombian coffee selection."
Coffee represents 25 percent of the agricultural employment in Colombia impacting approximately 560,000 families. Colombian coffee is unique because of the country's stringent control standards. It is only after a thorough process that the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia will give its stamp of approval so the coffee can be sold.
Jorge Arango, president and CEO, Colcafe, said "As a result of the collaboration between Wal-Mart and Colcafe, we are launching these products made out of 100% Colombian Excelso coffee. Together, we plan to bring value to the Colombian coffee industry while developing products that have an important component of sustainable development for Colombia's coffee growers."
Wal-Mart and Proexport hosted their first ever Colombian Supplier Development Conference today with approximately 100 Colombian suppliers in attendance. The conference provided Colombian business leaders information on how to be a socially responsible, ethical and world class supplier.
"Wal-Mart is proud to partner with Proexport to provide this development opportunity for Colombian suppliers," said Renzo Casillo, president and CEO, Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, who was the lead Wal-Mart spokesperson at the event. "We want to work with producers around the world, from one-person shops to multi-national corporations, to ensure that our products meet the needs of every customer we serve."
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Walmart discount stores, supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam's Club locations in the United States. The company also operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. The company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
About Colcafe
COLCAFE is one of the leading companies in the Colombian coffee industry and market leader in the roast & ground category. It has been exporting since the early 60s, reaching nowadays over 45 countries in four continents. In this period of time, it has managed to build up a very important know how of the world coffee markets while adjusting its production and quality assurance processes to the highest international standards. COLCAFE offers a wide range of solutions to its customers with a portfolio of high quality roasted and roast and ground coffees, soluble coffees and coffee mixes.
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