Juan Valdez is retiring. Long live Juan Valdez! Colombia's coffee ambassador to the world, Carlos Sanchez, is finally quitting after four decades of playing the role of Juan Valdez. And the national federation of Colombian coffee producers is searching for a man to inherit his poncho -- as well as his trusty mule, Conchita.Respect. And I don't even drink coffee.Sanchez has promoted Colombian coffee since 1969 with a leather bag, bushy mustache and straw hat typical of rural Colombia. He inherited the role from Jose Duval, a Cuban, who became the first Juan Valdez in 1959.
(snip)
''I feel like a flag. I feel like I've represented the country,'' Sanchez said Tuesday at a news conference where he struggled to hold back tears. ''There is a big sense of gratitude from Colombians abroad for this.''
Sanchez, 71, said his advancing years made it hard to keep up a strenuous schedule traveling the globe promoting coffee.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
NOOOOOOO!!!!!
Sad news about the end of an era:
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1 comment:
That's why you have respect. Columbian coffee is a triumph of marketing over quality. Mostly it's pretty nasty stuff, although Jenn did manage to find some that was actually drinkable.
Still, passing of an era
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