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Watch your back, Whole Paycheck: Wal-Mart’s entered the organic arena with a line of fair trade certified coffee.
The world’s largest retailer will start selling six coffees, including Sam’s Choice Fair Trade certified coffee, Sam’s Choice Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, and Sam’s Choice USDA organic decaffeinated coffee, under the Sam’s Choice brand in all of its U.S. stores.
Wal-Mart says all its coffees are certified ‘carbon neutral’ because its Brazil-based coffee roaster has cut its net carbon emissions to zero.
Consumers have shown a willingness to pay a premium for coffee brands deemed sustainable - those with a low impact on the environment and providing a respectable standard of living for the farmers growing the beans. Chains like Starbucks Corp and Dunkin’ Donuts have started using “fair trade” beans to meet consumer demand.
Fair trade certification requires specified economic, social and environmental standards be met, and farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price for their coffee. Coffee purchased through the Rainforest Alliance program, as reported by Reuters, must also pass specific environmental, social and economic criteria that target long-term sustainability.
The Sam’s Choice coffee will be $5.88 for a 10- to 12-ounce bag - less than the competitors, but still a potential stretch for consumers clamping down on spending.
XM Satellite Radio will air extensive coverage of the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in the days heading up to the May 25 race.
The Indianapolis 500 can be heard on the IndyCar Series Racing channel (XM channel 145)…
Ogden’s Herbs for Health magazine is being folded into big-sister publication the Herb Companion.
A reader survey revealed that the two publications had virtually identical purchasing habits, interests and demographics, said publisher and editorial director Bryan Welch (via Folio). The Herb…
Barnes & Noble is launching a guerilla marketing campaign as part of a larger effort to promote its how-to website, Quamut.com.
The site - which touts itself as the “go to how to” - offers professionally written info that answers how-to…
Fox will air fewer commercials than usual during two of its fall programs, dramas Fringe and Dollhouse. Each episode will run as many as 50 minutes of story, compared to standard dramas which average about 42 to 44 minutes.
The…
Targeting advertising toward African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Whites requires distinct media plans, because these groups use traditional media differently - and their new-media adoption patterns also vary, according to an analysis by BIGresearch, writes MarketingCharts.
“Understanding how media consumption behaviors…
For the sixth consecutive year, the number of millionaire households ($1MM+ net worth, not including primary residence) in the U.S. increased significantly, reaching some 9.9 million, according to TNS’s annual Affluent Market Research Program (AMRP), writes MarketingCharts.
The number of millionaire households…
