Sam’s Club introduces Fair Trade Brazilian coffee

BENTONVILLE, Ark. Walmart, TransFair, SEBRAE-Minas Gerais and the USAID announced that a new Fair Trade Certified coffee from Brazil will be sold to Sam's Club members across the country. The two new Fair Trade Certified Member's Mark coffee options will be available in more than 600 Sam's Club locations in the U.S. These new products are part of the innovative Responsible Sourcing Partnership Project that links Brazilian coffee farmers with mass market coffee consumers in the U.S. through Fair Trade certification.

"This partnership falls in line with the company's mission of providing opportunity in communities around the world, as nearly 30,000 Brazilian producer family members are being positively impacted," said Jill Turner-Mitchael, SVP of Merchandising, Sam's Club.

Through the Responsible Sourcing Partnership Project, Brazilian producers and their families receive increased employment opportunities, expanded access to new domestic and international markets, increased use of environmentally-sound production methods and improvements in their quality of life. Partner cooperatives are located in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Espirito Santo.

Paul Rice, TransFair USA president and CEO, said, "Sam's Club is an innovative partner in offering high-quality Fair Trade Certified coffee in a manner that both expands the marketplace and delivers value back down the supply chain to the farmer. A year from now we will be able to trace Member's Mark coffee sales directly to improved environmental management at Fair Trade coffee farms and higher quality of life in farming communities."