The Caf a Venezuela program will sell premium coffee at CITGO stations in Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. The program's goal is to promote sustainable development in rural Venezuela (where the coffee is grown) while providing quality coffee to CITGO [image-nocss] patrons.
CITGO is working with Golden Valley Farms Commodity Group Inc., West Chester, Pa., to market the Caf a Venezuela coffee. The program will make the coffee available at 2,000 convenience stores located at CITGO gas stations within the next two years. The first shipment of 7.45 tons of coffee has already arrived, while the second shipment is on its way.
"This is a win-win initiative. Not only are we helping to improve the quality of life for small Venezuelan coffee growers, but we are also providing CITGO customers with a quality product they can be proud to purchase," said Granado.
"The government of Venezuela has stimulated the cooperative sector through education and job-training in recent years. This sector has risen from 910 cooperatives nationwide in 1999 to 228,004 by the end of 2007. In fact, more than 3,000 small and mid-size coffee growers produce Caf a Venezuela coffee. By dramatically improving the lives of these hard-working farmers, the Caf a Venezuela program is another example of Venezuela's achievements in the construction of a new progressive model of development," Alvarez added.
"On behalf of all the small coffee producers that work under the umbrella of Caf a Venezuela, I want to convey to you our collective pride stemming from the fact that our coffee is being sold at CITGO service stations here in the United States. By guaranteeing the placement of our product, this program will contribute to significantly improve the quality of life of our producers and their families," said Moreno.
John Sacharok, president of Golden Valley Farms said, "This new business endeavor, promoted by CITGO, will allow consumers the opportunity to enjoy one of the best quality coffee's in the world, the arabica coffee from Venezuela."
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petr aleos de Venezuela SA, the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.