Coffee growers to open U.S. stores

COLOMBIAN FEDERATION TO TOUT VALDEZ BRAND
By Sherri Day
New York Times

The Colombian Coffee Federation, which represents more than 500,000 Colombian coffee growers, is planning to open its first coffee shops -- all bearing the name Juan Valdez, after the federation's signature character -- in the United States by early next year.

Gabriel Silva, the president of the federation, which is based in Bogota, Colombia, said he believes the coffee growers have been ``too passive'' in claiming a larger piece of the $8.4 billion specialty coffee industry.

``In a cup of coffee that you get at a coffee shop, between 1 and 2 cents goes back to the farmer,'' Silva said, referring to Colombian growers. ``We need to build our own solutions and take the destiny in our hands and really fight for our share of the industry.''

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