Rosevaldo Jose Pereira’s co-op is one of only seven worldwide that is certified fair trade, paying its members a premium above market prices for beans that meet certain social and environmental criteria. And this month, Pereira is selling to Wal-Mart – notoriously known for squeezing suppliers to squeeze pennies out of them – who now want to buy his coffee in its namesake stores – making a groundbreaking deal which may signal change at one of America’s most notorious retailers and environmentally.

Wal-Mart has introduced its Sam’s Choice private label coffee as Fair Trade Certified and organic for the first time, in six gourmet blends certified Rainforest Alliance Certified and roasted by Cafe Bom Dia, a Brazilian company which measured, reduced and offset emissions to become one of the first CarbonNeutral roasters worldwide. A 10-to 12-ounce bag costs $5.88.

Wal-Mart’s move comes at a time of increasing food, fuel and other commodity costs; for instance, arabica coffee futures hit an all-time high last month, and oil rallied into three month highs recently causing gasoline prices to surge three months ago. Wal-Mart is working with various social and environmental groups on sustainability initiatives including TransFair USA and Rocky Mountain Institute to reduce trucking fuel usage at their stores.

But Walmart still has far to go in changing its image; its longstanding practice of cutting costs by tightening supply chains, cutting workers’ wages and pushing out small businesses has only grown worse, becoming an election issue and critics’ point of contention against any transformation at this retailer. Critics already point to its newly introduced coffee as proof of that notion.

Rick McFarland of Wal-Mart said the company’s goal is to give their consumers what they want: if done right, they will have coffee that’s comparable or superior to other offerings at an even lower cost, McFarland said. Wal-Mart follows in the footsteps of competitors such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks who are opting for fair trade coffee labels; such labels indicate producers purchased their beans at a guaranteed minimum price that allows them to invest back into improving communities through TransFair USA certification agency certification agency certification agency certification agency TransFair USA certification agency certification agency TransFair USA certification agency certification agency TransFair USA certification agency for TransFair USA certification agency.