Colombia seeks new "Juan Valdez" coffee ambassador

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Juan Valdez is retiring. Long live Juan Valdez!

Colombia's coffee ambassador to the world, Carlos Sanchez, is finally quitting after more than three 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.

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.

The Juan Valdez trademark has become one of the most recognizable in the world, the fictional figure one of the most famous Colombians of all time. Juan Valdez even made it to Hollywood, sharing a scene with Jim Carrey in the film "Bruce Almighty."

Colombians have been thankful to Valdez for presenting another side of their country, which often is seen abroad as a haven for drug traffickers and terrorists.

"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.

He came to Seattle in April 2005 to open the first of two Juan Valdez coffee shops downtown. The two shops are at 1427 Fifth Ave. and 401 Pine St.

Coffee is the national product of Colombia and was crucial in the country's early economic development.

The new Juan Valdez has a lot of selling to do: Colombia's coffee industry has taken a beating during the global glut of the past decade. In 2005, coffee exports were about $1.4 billion, or $100 million less than those of a decade earlier.

In searching for a replacement, the federation sent teams across the streets, farms and — of course — cafes in the country's western coffee region. With the help of U.S. consultants, it narrowed the field from 400 contenders to 10. The new Juan Valdez, the third incarnation, will be announced by June 30.

"This is not a beauty contest," said Gabriel Silva, the general manager of the federation.

Images of the casting call showed dozens of mustached men, some with notable paunches, doing their impressions of Juan Valdez.

Asked what he wants to do now that he's retired, Sanchez said, "Paint like a madman."

For his part, Conchita, the mule, will remain alongside the future Juan Valdez.

"We've had to change Conchita a few more times than our Juan Valdez," Silva said.

Information about Sanchez's Seattle trip provided by Seattle Times staff.