Juan Valdez Cafe
Encyclopedia
Juan Valdez Cafe is a multinational coffeehouse
chain based in Colombia
that specializes in coffee retail. Its purpose is to become a member of the worldwide coffee restaurant business, and promote Colombian coffee
, which is reputed to be the richest coffee in the world ₢. It was created by Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers
through Procafecol S.A.; the latter being a company established in 2002. It was named after Juan Valdez
, Colombia's longtime coffee icon and a household name in America
.
Juan Valdez Cafe sells 100% Colombian coffee, drip brewed coffee
, espresso
-based drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks and items such as mugs, shirts and jackets. Juan Valdez brand ground coffee beans are also sold at grocery stores.
and Spain
, but those were closed before 1985.
However, as early as 2000, the situation was different: market prices for green coffee beans were low, and coffee
had become popular everywhere, allowing for the rapid growth of coffeehouses. This opportunity was seized by Colombia's Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia
in September 2002, when they established Juan Valdez Cafe as their official coffeehouse brand. The first location was opened in Bogotá
, followed in Medellín
and Cali
, and later in other cities. The first international location was opened in the United States
, and the company is currently in expansion.
The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia established the Juan Valdez cafes as part of a marketing campaign to promote fair trade coffee. Consumers automatically support the farmers when they patronize the store. In Colombia
, the coffee industry accounts for over 8% of the GDP, employing directly and indirectly more than a million people and farms spanning over half the number of towns in the whole country. The federation, established in 1927, is owned and controlled by 500,000 farmers who grow their coffee on small farms, as opposed to plantations. The issue of fair prices for coffee farmers became even more important in 2000 when coffee prices steadily dropped from $1.30 a pound in January to 75 cents a pound by December because of increased production, according to the International Coffee Organization
.
Since 1960, the federation has spent $600 million building the Juan Valdez brand. However, its advertising campaign went dark in 2001 as coffee prices hit all-time lows. The federation plans to spend $75 million in the next five years to reposition itself as an upscale specialty-coffee region with a diverse line of coffee.
Juan Valdez is the only international coffeehouse authorized to officially sell Colombian coffee
. In September 2007 it was given protected designation of origin
granted by the European Union
after an international dispute won by the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers on intellectual property
, and the lawsuit brought against a Costa Rica-based company using the Juan Valdez slogan (Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican coffee
).
, Washington D.C., Madrid
, Spain
Quito
and Guayaquil
, Ecuador
and Santiago
, Chile. Despite recent closures in the United States and Spain, the company aims to continue its expansion worldwide through a franchising scheme. Plans to expand into Peru, Argentina, Mexico and Panama have been announced.
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
chain based in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
that specializes in coffee retail. Its purpose is to become a member of the worldwide coffee restaurant business, and promote Colombian coffee
Colombian coffee
Colombian Coffee is a protected designation of origin granted by the European Union that applies to the coffee produced in Colombia. The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste...
, which is reputed to be the richest coffee in the world ₢. It was created by Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers
Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia
The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia , often abbreviated Fedecafé, is a non-profit business association, popularly known for its "Juan Valdez" marketing campaign. The federation was founded in 1927 as a business cooperative that promotes the production and exportation of Colombian coffee...
through Procafecol S.A.; the latter being a company established in 2002. It was named after Juan Valdez
Juan Valdez
Juan Valdez is a famous fictional character that has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1959, representing the Colombian coffee farmer. The advertisements were designed by the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency, with the goal of distinguishing...
, Colombia's longtime coffee icon and a household name in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Juan Valdez Cafe sells 100% Colombian coffee, drip brewed coffee
Drip brew
Drip brewing, or filtered coffee, is a method for brewing coffee which involves pouring water over roasted, ground coffee beans contained in a filter. Water seeps through the coffee, absorbing its oils and essences, solely under gravity, then passes through the bottom of the filter...
, espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
-based drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks and items such as mugs, shirts and jackets. Juan Valdez brand ground coffee beans are also sold at grocery stores.
History
The founding of Juan Valdez Cafe fulfilled the aspirations of Colombian coffee makers, who for decades advocated for the creation of a national brand. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Colombian Coffee Federation opened some outlets in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but those were closed before 1985.
However, as early as 2000, the situation was different: market prices for green coffee beans were low, and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
had become popular everywhere, allowing for the rapid growth of coffeehouses. This opportunity was seized by Colombia's Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia
Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia
The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia , often abbreviated Fedecafé, is a non-profit business association, popularly known for its "Juan Valdez" marketing campaign. The federation was founded in 1927 as a business cooperative that promotes the production and exportation of Colombian coffee...
in September 2002, when they established Juan Valdez Cafe as their official coffeehouse brand. The first location was opened in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, followed in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
and Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, and later in other cities. The first international location was opened in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the company is currently in expansion.
The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia established the Juan Valdez cafes as part of a marketing campaign to promote fair trade coffee. Consumers automatically support the farmers when they patronize the store. In Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, the coffee industry accounts for over 8% of the GDP, employing directly and indirectly more than a million people and farms spanning over half the number of towns in the whole country. The federation, established in 1927, is owned and controlled by 500,000 farmers who grow their coffee on small farms, as opposed to plantations. The issue of fair prices for coffee farmers became even more important in 2000 when coffee prices steadily dropped from $1.30 a pound in January to 75 cents a pound by December because of increased production, according to the International Coffee Organization
International Coffee Organization
International Coffee Organization was initiated in collaboration with UN to enhance cooperation between nations that consume, distribute and produce coffee....
.
Since 1960, the federation has spent $600 million building the Juan Valdez brand. However, its advertising campaign went dark in 2001 as coffee prices hit all-time lows. The federation plans to spend $75 million in the next five years to reposition itself as an upscale specialty-coffee region with a diverse line of coffee.
Juan Valdez is the only international coffeehouse authorized to officially sell Colombian coffee
Colombian coffee
Colombian Coffee is a protected designation of origin granted by the European Union that applies to the coffee produced in Colombia. The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste...
. In September 2007 it was given protected designation of origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
granted by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
after an international dispute won by the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers on intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, and the lawsuit brought against a Costa Rica-based company using the Juan Valdez slogan (Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican coffee
Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican coffee
Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican coffee is a slogan, implying that Juan Valdez, a fictional character created by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia , drinks coffee from Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, the slogan is popular on bumper stickers...
).
Store locations
As of 2010, Juan Valdez has 120 company-owned, joint-venture and licensed outlets in Colombia. International expansion, which began in 2005, brought new locations to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Washington D.C., Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
and Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Santiago
Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. Santiago may also refer to:*Santiago *Santiago , a Spanish given name*Santiago!, a shortened form of the Reconquista battle cry "Santiago y cierra, España"...
, Chile. Despite recent closures in the United States and Spain, the company aims to continue its expansion worldwide through a franchising scheme. Plans to expand into Peru, Argentina, Mexico and Panama have been announced.
External links
- Juan Valdez official site (Spanish)
- Juan Valdez Cafe official site in the United States (English)
- National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia