WalMart Announces Expanded Selection of Colcafé Coffee Products

Retailer will carry coffee in more than 3,500 Walmart stores in the United States

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - March 17, 2009 – WalMart announced today an expanded selection of Colcafé coffee products for WalMart’s Sam’s Choice gourmet coffee program. In addition to the 100 percent Colombian coffee that WalMart 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, WalMart 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, Colcafé, said “As a result of the collaboration between WalMart and Colcafé, 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.”

WalMart 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.

“WalMart is proud to partner with Proexport to provide this development opportunity for Colombian suppliers,” said Renzo Casillo, president and CEO, WalMart Puerto Rico, who was the lead WalMart spokesperson at the event. “We want to work with producers around the world, from one-person shops to multinational corporations, to ensure that our products meet the needs of every customer we serve.”