The Colombian coffee chain recently announced a goal to open 140 stores in Spain over the next seven years
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Virginia Donado Escudero | Photo credit: LinkedIn
Colombian coffee chain Juan Valdez has appointed Virginia Donado Escudero as the new CEO of its Spanish business.
Escudero joins Juan Valdez from restaurant franchise group Restalia, which operates the Montaditos, La Sureña and The Good Burger restaurant chains in Spain, as well as Madrid-based coffee chain Panther. She served as the group’s Director of Expansion 2005-2013, General Manager 2013-2016 and Director General 2022-2024.
Her appointment comes just weeks after Juan Valdez signed a strategic partnership with Colombian conglomerate Grupo Trinity to accelerate outlet growth in Spain, with plans to scale from six stores to 140 by 2032.
“This is an exciting challenge that will allow us to bring the world’s finest coffee to every corner of Spain and strengthen the presence of one of the most globally recognised brands in its segment,” Escudero said.
Created by Colombia’s National Federation of Coffee Growers, the first Juan Valdez coffee shop opened at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá in December 2002. The coffee chain, which takes its namesake from a fictional character designed to represent the archetypal Colombian coffee farmer, currently operates over 373 stores in Colombia alongside a further 260 across 18 markets internationally.