Juan Valdez Café was the first Colombian brand to reach over a million fans on Facebook at the end of July. Juan Valdez café’s presence in Facebook is part of a comprehensive content generation strategy led by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), according to Luis Fernando Samper, the FNC’s CMO. He notes that under the Café de Colombia umbrella, the FNC has developed several digital media projects to communicate what’s behind Juan Valdez and Café de Colombia to a younger, more dynamic and sophisticated audience. “Digital media is an excellent channel to bring origin closer to the consumer, and share the values that make our brands relevant,” Fernando Samper explained . “For example, in our 'Journey to Origin' project, consumers are able to virtually travel to different regions in Colombia, meet the growers and learn about what makes each of our coffees special.” The achievement is a a significant one, considering that this social network is still in its penetrating stage in Latin America, according to Hernán Méndez, President of Procafecol S.A, the firm that manages Jan Valdez Cafés. Even though Juan Valdez Cafe has built a strong relationship with its customers in over nine countries, Méndez notes that the relationships built thorough Facebook and other social networks opens a new dimension of communication opportunities. “Social networking has changed social dynamics and the way we interact with our inner circle, with costumers, with other brands, and so on,” Méndez says. Procafecol S.A. reported positive results for the first half of 2011, with total operating income reaching $26.7 million. This is a 20 per cent increase over the corresponding period a year earlier. This is a big jump over the 7 per cent increase in the first half of 2010 recorded compared to the first half of 2009.
