Colombian Coffee Declares US Deal with Coca-Cola on Coffee Products

25/05/07 Colombia's national coffee federation said on Wednesday it had agreed with Coca-Cola to sell its coffee products at the U.S. drinks company's distribution points in the United States.

The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia said the initial plan would bring products under its Juan Valdez brand to 11,000 restaurants served by the world's No. 1 beverage company in the United States.

"The accord has huge potential if you remember that Coca-Cola food service attends 425,000 restaurants in the United States. Reaching half of that potential, Colombia would export 500,000 bags of processed coffee," said federation director Gabriel Silva.

The federation signed a similar deal with Japan 15 years ago. Japan is the second largest market for Colombian coffee after the United States.

Silva said Colombia aimed to sell 45,000 bags of processed coffee a year for the 11,000 Coca-Cola sales points, which he estimated represented about $1 million a year in extra earnings from processed coffee exports.