Juan Valdez

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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%-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; this became relevant in a 2006 lawsuit over the phrase "Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican coffee".

1 Trivia
2 References in popular culture
3 Gallery
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Trivia

José Duval, the first actor to play Juan Valdez, died in 1993 at the age of 72.

The name of Juan Valdez's donkey "Conchita" was the answer to a query in the popular game show "Who Want's To Be A Millionaire."

[edit] References in popular culture

The character made a cameo appearance in the 2003 film Bruce Almighty when he poured a cup of coffee for the lead character, played by Jim Carrey.
In an episode of Mad About You, Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) is told she can't drink coffee because of her pregnancy, and laments being surrounded by Starbucks stores and other coffee bars in New York, and compares Juan Valdez to a drug dealer.
In an episode of Beavis and Butt-head, the duo watch a music video of the Soundgarden song "Black Hole Sun" which opens with a view of hills. Upon seeing this, Butt-head says, "It is in these hills that Juan Valdez and his trusty goat gather coffee beans every morning."
In an episode of Dexter's Laboratory, Dexter's mother, upon learning that Dexter and Dee Dee have apparently drunken all the coffee in the house, opens the cabinet to find a Hispanic man with a donkey crammed inside. The man hands her a can of coffee beans and she replies, "Gracias, Juan!"
In the song "Coffee Can", from Christian rock band, Guardian, a line says "I calmed down and reached for my Pez, but the head on the dispenser was Juan Valdez".
Comedian Denis Leary mentioned the character on his 1997 Lock 'N Load album, describing his reaction to a flavor of coffee called Maple Nut Crunch; "Are you going to tell me that Juan Valdez is down in Bogotá right now, fielding a field full of maple nuts? I don't f--king think so."