Juan ValdezJuan Valdez Café or Juan Valdez Coffee is an international coffeehouse chain that was founded and is still currently based in Colombia. The chain’s main goal is to promote international awareness of Colombian coffee and be acknowledged as one of the established worldwide coffeehouses in the industry.

History
Juan Valdez Café was founded through Procafecol, S.A. (a company founded in 2002) by Colombia’s Federation of Coffee Growers. The company was named after Colombia’s coffee icon, Juan Valdez.

In 2002, when prices for coffee beans were low and there was an increased demand for coffee in the market, Colombian coffee growers sought the opportunity and established what has come to be a successful coffee business. The creation of Juan Valdez Café was an achievement for Colombian coffee growers who wanted and advocated for a national brand of coffee for Colombia.

One of the company’s primary objectives is to improve the living conditions of coffee growers in Colombia. Consumers are able to help these Colombian coffee growers when they patronize Juan Valdez coffeehouses.

By patronizing Juan Valdez coffee, coffee farmers benefit in three ways:

1. A portion of the profit is directed to the coffee fund for the purpose of education, healthcare, transportation, electricity, communication and water works.
2. Revenue adds economic value to the investment made by individual coffee growers who own shares of the company.
3. It increases the amount of coffee bought directly from Colombian coffee farmers at prices that allow them to improve their living standards.

Juan Valdez Café has been the only coffeehouse company officially authorized to sell Colombian coffee.  In September of 2007, the company was given the ‘protected designation of origin’ by the European Union.

In 2005, Juan Valdez Café began its expansion program, starting in the United States. The company now has outlets in several U.S. locations such as Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York City as well as outlets in Madrid, Spain.

By the year 2010, the company had 120 outlets in Columbia, all of which are licensed to operate and carry the official name and logo. The company is still continuing its worldwide expansion program through franchising.

Stats
Headquarters: Bogota, Colombia
Company Type: Public
No. of Stores: 120 (in Colombia alone, as of 2010)
Total Sales: $85,998 Million (2010)
No. of Employees: information not available
Geography: Colombia, Spain and the United States
Demography: Coffee drinkers

Brands
Juan Valdez Café

Important Links
Corporate Home Page
Online Shopping
Contact Information