Colombian Coffee Growers Look for the Right Juan

Forget the search for the next American Idol. Colombia is looking for a new Juan Valdez.

That nation’s association of coffee growers is retiring its spokesmodel Carlos Sanchez, who has been on the job -- and untold millions of coffee cans -- since 1969.

The new coffee king must embody the spirit of a “Juan Valdez more relevant for the future of Colombian coffee,” said Gabriel Silva, general manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.

Banish any thoughts of a Juan Valdez toting an iPod and driving a sports utility vehicle up the rugged Medellin mountains. Two requirements: He must have a mustache and be sensitive -- to the environment.

“Basically, he is going to continue to be a coffee grower in the role,” said Luis Samper, director of intellectual property of the federation that represents more than 500,000 growers. “But he will have more interest in the environment, organic coffee growing -- issues of interest to the modern coffee drinker.”

The famed logo containing Valdez’s likeness, with mountains in the background and his mule -- alternatively known as Lana and Conchita -- is not to change when the coffee cup is passed.

“That donkey,” Samper declared, “will still be around.”

Coffee’s troubles are not likely to disappear anytime soon, either. In April, world coffee exports totaled 6.8 million bags, down from 7.8 million last year, according to the International Coffee Organization.

Sanchez, 71, who announced his retirement this week in Bogota, was a coffee grower before becoming an icon.

The search for a new spokesman began late last year with 406 hopefuls, now down to 10 finalists. Each has gone through rigorous psychological testing to determine whether he can handle the pressures of being Juan Valdez.

“We are looking for someone who is emotionally stable and can absorb fame without destroying himself and his family,” Samper said.

Last week, the current Juan Valdez appeared at a Los Angeles benefit concert cozying up to Salma Hayek.

His successor, to be announced this month, has a big sombrero to fill.

“When Presidents Bush, the father, and Clinton came to Colombia, they asked for their picture to be taken with Juan Valdez,” Samper said, “not the other way around.”