Wal-Mart Purchase Means Lower Priced Milk Beginning Today
The purchase by the giant U.S. retailer Wal-Mart of controlling shares of Central American Retail Holding Company (CARHCO), which operates the Más x Menos, Hipermás and Maxi Bodega supermarkets in Costa Rica, can be felt by consumers beginning today.

Wal-Mart Costa Rica, the new name for CARHCO, will be offering milk under the Sabemás brand at a price of 10% lower than the main milk distributor Dos Pinos.

Wal-Mart Costa Rica also owns the discount supermarket chain Palí, but the milk won't make it into those stores until June.

Sabemas is a brand name exclusively found at the Wal-Mart Costa Rica stores and is the first product by the multinational to have its prices slashed. Wal-Mart Costa Rica is committed to slashing prices of many more products in the coming months.

Wal-Mart Costa Rica predicts that it's private milk label will capture at least 30% of the national market. The low priced milk is being provided by the Cooperativa Agropecuaria Regional de Productores de Leche which has a contract for 10.000 litres of milk in the first stage. The Sabemás brand milk is expected to be sold in supermarkets in Central America owned by Wal-Mart.

The move will also have a great social impact as it guarantees production purchases from some 118 small dairy farmers in the areas of San Ramón, Guatuso, Zarcero, Tilarán, San Carlos, Esparza and Miramar.