JUAN VALDEZ, FIRST CHAIN OF COFFEE SHOPS IN THE WORLD, CERTIFIED AS “B COMPANY”.

• The unique nature of Juan Valdez (Procafecol S.A.) allowed it to achieve the B certification, due to the fact that it is a company that is part of the coffee institutionality of the country represented by the National Federation of Coffee Growers and through which it benefits more than 540 thousand coffee growing families.

• Of the 110,000 companies that have been measured through the Sistema B assessment tool, only 3% achieve this recognition, indicating the high standards of performance that the certification evaluates.

Bogotá D.C., February 24, 2021. Juan Valdez, the flagship company of the country that represents Colombian coffee growers, achieved certification as a B Company. In this way, it not only becomes the first chain of coffee stores certified in the world, but also joins the group of companies whose business purpose is to contribute to the solution of the main social and environmental problems of our time.

Since its creation in 2002, Juan Valdez (Procafecol S.A.) has sought to captivate the world with the premium coffees of Colombia and to give a leading role to its coffee growers, who, in addition to being the owners of the brand, are the suppliers of 100% of its coffee. In this way, backed by the National Federation of Coffee Growers, Juan Valdez has watched over the interests of the coffee growing families of the country that are, in their majority (96%), small and medium sized producers.

Juan Valdez’s main purpose is to generate value, beyond the economic, to Colombian coffee growers. For this reason, it has not only worked to have a traceable and transparent supply chain and has developed high standards of corporate governance, but it is constantly looking out for the welfare of its producers and collaborators, and is committed to achieving better social and environmental practices in each link of its operation.

Since 2019, Juan Valdez began its certification process as a B Company. This is a recognition delivered by B Lab – a non-profit entity in the United States, which so far has recognized 3,700 companies in the world and more than 60 in Colombia. It recognizes those companies that do not measure their success only through their financial results, but also through their social and environmental performance. Camilo Ramirez, Executive Director of Sistema B in Colombia, the organization that promotes the B movement in the country, states: “The B movement welcomes Juan Valdez, we are very happy and sure that, with his example, we will continue to show the whole world how it is possible to achieve financial profitability and, at the same time, the solution to the great challenges we have as a society and planet. This is the new definition of business success.

This certification, which is only obtained by 3% of the companies that complete the evaluation, ratifies the organization’s purpose in generating value through its business model. This involved a rigorous review process of all the dimensions and areas of the company and a judicious analysis of the impact they generate. “We are proud to belong to this movement of companies that aspire to be not only the best in the world, but the best for the world. The certification allows us to ratify our commitment to Colombian coffee growers, to our employees and to society in general, by showing that we are continuously seeking to provide concrete environmental, social and economic solutions to contribute to the development of our country and the world,” said Camila Escobar, president of Juan Valdez. Juan Valdez is committed to continue contributing to the construction of a new economy, turning global challenges into opportunities to generate value for society. Now as a B Company, Juan Valdez will continue to exalt the name of an entire country and of Colombian coffee in the world.