Sam's Club moves to Fair Trade coffee

BENTONVILLE, Ark. Sam's Club announced Monday that its Members Mark coffee is now Fair Trade Certified, and is the first private-label coffee of its kind available nationwide.

As part of Fair Trade month, Sam's Club is also partnering with coffee roaster Cafe Bom Dia and TransFair USA to offer a summer 2008 weeklong study grant opportunity for junior high and high school teachers interested in teaching about Fair Trade.

"Fair Trade month is the right time to offer an exceptional value, high-quality coffee, one that we hope will introduce a new sustainable product to members who prefer ground coffee to whole bean, and may have not have tried our gourmet Fair Trade Certified and USDA Organic coffees. We are able to direct our sourcing decisions to support small-scale farmers who employ sustainable farming and labor practices. This is such a win-win-win that converting our 39 ounce ground coffee to Fair Trade Certified was a no-brainer," explained Sam's Club evp of merchandising Greg Spragg.