(1959- )
Appears in ads for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia
Typically appears with his mule Conchita
Portrayed by Jose F. Duval (1959-69), Carlos Sanchez (1969-2006) and Carlos Castenada (2006- )

The first Juan Valdez, Jose F. Duval, was Cuban, not Colombian.
Salon described the contest to choose the third Juan Valdez as ‘a bizarre mash-up of ‘Colombian Idol’ and Survivor.'
The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation sued cartoonist Mike Peters over a ‘Mother Goose and Grimm’ strip in which Grimm says, ‘Y'know, there's a big crime syndicate in Colombia. So when they say there's a little bit of Juan Valdez in every can, maybe they're not kidding.’ (2009)

He beat out the Geico Gecko to be named Advertising Week's ‘Advertising Icon of the Year’ (2005).
Second Juan Valdez, Carlos Sanchez, said about presenting a non-drugs and terrorism side of Colombia, ‘I feel like a flag. I feel like I represented the country. There is a big sense of gratitude from Colombians abroad for this.’
The third Juan Valdez, Carlos Castenada, is an actual coffee grower with, according to brand manager David Altschul, ‘the looks of a Hispanic Tom Cruise.’

Credit: C. Fishel

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For 2009, as of last week, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying

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