Juan Valdez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Juan Valdez and his mule.
Enlarge
Juan Valdez and his mule.

Juan Valdez is a fictional character that has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1959, representing the Colombian coffee farmer. He typically appears alongside his mule Conchita, carrying sacks of harvested coffee beans. He has become an icon for Colombia as well as coffee in general.

The advertisements were designed by the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency, with the goal of distinguishing 100 per cent Colombian coffee from coffee blended with beans from other countries.

Juan Valdez made his first TV appearance in 1983.

Initially portrayed by José F. Duval, Juan Valdez has been portrayed by Carlos Sánchez since 1969 and voiced by Norman Rose. In 2006, Sánchez announced his retirement, and Carlos Castañeda, a grower from the Andes, was selected by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia as the new face of Juan Valdez. [1]

The name "Juan Valdez" is by no means unique, as both Juan and Valdez are common Hispanic names and there are possibly thousands of men with this name alive today. In fact, on the morning of April 30, 1975, Master Sgt. Juan Valdez was the last American to leave Saigon as the war in Vietnam came to a close.

Contents

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Gallery

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

In other languages