Sam's Choice organic coffee from Wal-mart

1 April, 2008:

Sam's Choice, a line of organic coffees from Wal-Mart, will be out on US shelves soon. Wal-Mart has set the price of the Sam's Choice private label coffees at $5.88 for a 10-12 ounce bag.

The Sam's Choice line of coffees is termed as organic, Rainforest Alliance and fair trade certified. Wal-Mart said that the Sam's Choice line will be carbon-neutral, since the company it is sourcing the coffee beans from has cut its net carbon emissions to zero.

There is an increasing awareness in the developed world to purchase and consume items that leave little envoronmental impact. Other similar organic coffees currently on sale include O Organics Aztec blend medium ground coffee and Seattle's Best organic decaffeinated ground coffee. The first is priced at $9.19, while the latter costs $6.99 at a 12-ounce bag. Corporates are increasingly catering to the emerging category of socially-conscious cosumers. Dunkins Donuts and Starbucks have already started selling such coffees.

The Sam's Choice coffee brands on sale include Sam's Choice Fair Trade certified coffee, Sam's Choice Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, and Sam's Choice USDA organic decaffeinated coffee.

Only those companies which adhere to certain minimum benchmarks of social, environmental and economic standards are given the fair trade certification.

Retailers are increasingly turning to making and maketing their own private label products across product categories. This guarantees exclusivity, helps keep prices under check and enables greater differentiation. Wal Mart obtains coffees from many of the 300 coffee cooperatives in Latin America, Asia and Africa that are certified as "Fair Trade" by TransFair USA. These also include dozens of Fair Trade licensed roasters and Fair Trade licensed importers.