The Juan Valdez coffee chain left Colombia in 2005, with the opening of its first store in Washington. Today, under the leadership of Camila Escobar (Bogotá, 43 years old), it has become a multinational with a presence in 40 countries, a product of the internationalization strategy proposed by this industrial engineer from the Universidad de los Andes with an MBA from Harvard. In 2018, when he assumed the presidency of Procafecol – the company in charge of marketing the Juan Valdez brand since 2002 and whose majority partner is the National Federation of Coffee Growers – Escobar received a company that had been recording a drop in profits for two years. Five years later, it reached a record in sales with 670,000 million pesos (23% above 2022) and by 2024, it plans to double the net profit of the previous year. During the six years of his presidency, the global number of the brand's stores has grown by 50%, going from 420 to 611 in total. Not in vain, Escobar is considered one of the great business leaders in Colombia. Classifications such as the business monitor of corporate reputation (Merco), which lists the highest-rated leaders in the country, placed her in 10th place this year, the second best-positioned woman. She inherited her leadership traits – she points out – from her parents. , who taught her and her three brothers values such as integrity, discipline and the passion to do everything well and with love. These three pillars have accompanied her not only in raising her three children, but in her stamp of directing human talent in all projects. In 2020, she was the only Colombian chosen to be part of the Emerging Talents network of the Women's Forum to Economy and Society, not only for his results as CEO at Procafecol, but for the social and environmental value that he has fostered in the company. “We want to generate shared value. That is why part of our vision is to promote agricultural populations that have more challenges in the future, such as women and young people,” he says about the projects to solve social and environmental problems that in 2021 gave Juan Valdez the certified as Company B, the first chain of stores in the world to obtain it. One of them is 'Women coffee growers', which makes the work of coffee growers visible. “We support 1,000 women from 10 associations and two cooperatives in 10 departments; We offer training in good practices and pay a premium for the product, in addition to marketing your coffee. When women have financial empowerment, they invest 90% in their families and communities,” she highlights. She is also proud of the work done to promote a generational change in the Colombian countryside and announces that Colombians will enjoy a special edition of Christmas coffee, a product of the Renacer program, made one hundred percent by young coffee growers.
A strategic (and ambitious) mind
Being one of the most outstanding leaders in the Colombian business sector is due, among other qualities, to a strategic mind that she has developed throughout her career. “I am passionate about business strategy. Furthermore, by practicing consulting I strengthened my sense of teamwork, since projects are executed without having the role of boss, and objectives must be achieved by creating links of influence,” says Escobar, who before completing his MBA at Harvard , had his first work experience as an intern for the National Federation of Coffee Growers. That strategic mind has already announced an aggressive expansion plan in points of sale by 2025: between 80 and 100 around the world. “We have five key geographies: North America, with expansion in Florida; Brazil, where we have just signed an agreement; Spain as a gateway to Europe; Middle East, with the Arab Emirates, where there is already a store, and the progress in Saudi Arabia; and China, a very big bet, where we are developing a business plan with a view to opening stores by 2026,» he reveals. His great milestone of 2024 is having reached a new market of 23 million consumers, represented in Chicago fans. Cubs and fans to the world of Major League Baseball in the United States. Juan Valdez became the official coffee brand for this team, thanks to its alliance with the Green Coffee company to penetrate the US market, which, in addition to expanding the customer base, positively impacts the recognition of Colombian coffee. Being a leader business has meant that Camila Escobar has broken through several glass ceilings. One of them: being a mother of three children (14, 12 and 10 years old), while directing the most important Colombian coffee brand in the world: “I focus on three points that have allowed me to reach and maintain leadership positions: first , work very hard; second, surround myself very well with teams that really support me; and third, be prepared when opportunities arise. That's why I always say that luck is distributed at 6 in the morning.»