PHILADELPHIA, July 29, 2008 –Today, the Chairman, President & CEO of CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Alejandro Granado and the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Bernardo Alvarez came together at a local CITGO station to kick off the company’s new Café Venezuela program, along with Alida Moreno, President of Café Venezuela.
“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 CITGO Chairman, President and CEO, Alejandro Granado.
The Café 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 patrons.
CITGO is working with Pennsylvania-based Golden Valley Farms Commodity Group to market the Café Venezuela coffee. The program will make the coffee available at two thousand 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.
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“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 Café Venezuela coffee. By dramatically improving the lives of these hard-working farmers, the Café Venezuela program is another example of Venezuela’s achievements in the construction of a new progressive model of development,” said Bernardo Alvarez, Ambassador to the United States for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
“On behalf of all the small coffee producers that work under the umbrella of Café 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 Alida Moreno, President of Café Venezuela.
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.”
“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 CITGO Chairman, President and CEO, Alejandro Granado.
The Café 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 patrons.
CITGO is working with Pennsylvania-based Golden Valley Farms Commodity Group to market the Café Venezuela coffee. The program will make the coffee available at two thousand 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.
“
“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 Café Venezuela coffee. By dramatically improving the lives of these hard-working farmers, the Café Venezuela program is another example of Venezuela’s achievements in the construction of a new progressive model of development,” said Bernardo Alvarez, Ambassador to the United States for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
“On behalf of all the small coffee producers that work under the umbrella of Café 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 Alida Moreno, President of Café Venezuela.
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.”
