Vaya con Dios, Senor Sánchez: And Thanks For All the Beans!

Now wait: before you jump to conclusions, call me a racist, report me to Facebook and YouTube, allow me to explain.

Look I know the news is compelling: Will PDJT declare a national emergency and dispatch the Army Corps of Engineers? Will Ruthie announce her retirement as rumored? Let’s not get caught up in speculation today when we should be honoring the memory of a truly great icon.

I’m sad to report that the coffee farmer who embodied the essence of Colombian coffee with his portrayal of Juan Valdez – Carlos Sánchez Jaramillo of Medellín – died at age 83 in late December although his death wasn’t reported until yesterday.

A product of the real Mad Men of Madison Avenue, the fictional character Juan Valdez, a Colombian coffee farmer who often appears with his mule Conchita, was created by Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1958. Sánchez replaced the original Juan Valdez actor, José Duval, in 1969, and held the role until his retirement in 2006. 

Note in this (bad quality) commercial from 1982 how far ahead of its time the message was.

Focusing on the special qualities of small farmer raised beans, wearing his aguadeño hat, carriel and cotizas, Juan Valdez became one of the first icons of international branding. As a pitchman you could say the Valdez character created global marketing. And the rest is history.

RIP Carlos Sánchez, and thanks for all the beans! Even though it’s as addictive as cocaine it’s still far less expensive.

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