Juan Valdez is coming to Russia for the first time!

Who is Juan Valdez?

In 1959, the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia selected the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach to launch a campaign for Colombian Coffee. The agency then created the fictitious character Juan Valdez, to symbolize and personify the more than 560,000 hardworking and dedicated Colombian "cafeteros" (coffee farmers) that depend on coffee for their livelihood, and are part of the Federation.

Why is Juan Valdez so known? Show up anywhere with him and the majority of the people are bound to point, yell out a greeting or come up and ask for his autograph. Maybe it's due to the fact that Juan's likeness has been an integral part of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia's and truly represents the values and dedication of Colombia's coffee growers. Juan's amicable figure trassends because many people identify themselves with the endurance, honesty, authenticity and perseverence of this character.

Juan's just a multitalented, omnipresent kind of cafetero. No matter what he's engaged in, he never stops being Juan: the pleasant and affable spokesperson, who lets the coffee speak for itself. Maybe that's why everyone is drawn to Juan.

The Juan Valdez logo was developed by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia in March 1981 and was first introduced to the trade in September of the same year.

Featuring Juan Valdez (the quintessential cafetero), his mule, and the Colombian mountains in the background, the purpose of the logo is to identify and serve as a seal of guarantee to the brands that do indeed consist of 100% Colombian Coffee as approved by the Federation.

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF COFFEE GROWERS
The FNC: Founded in 1927 to build the prosperity of the Colombian coffee farmers.
The Colombian Coffee Federation (FNC) is entirely owned and controlled by Colombia's coffee farmers, (cafeteros) of whom there are over 500,000.

By joining together in the Federation the farmers achieve the benefits, and power, that only a large organization can provide. This is especially important, as the average size of an individual coffee farm in Colombia is around 2 hectares. Everything the Federation does is for the benefit of all coffee farmers. All profits are channeled back to the cafeteros and their communities.

One important and direct result of the Federation's work is that Colombian Coffee, today sells at a significant price premium on the international coffee market, providing a higher standard of living for the cafeteros.

The Colombian Coffee Federation represents commercially successful fair-trading, proven over 70 years.