Paisas, coffee and so much more
In the minds of Colombians nationwide, the fictional character Juan Valdez – Colombia’s most famous name in coffee advertisements – is a quintessential Paisa: a hard-working mustached coffee worker, clad in a poncho and sombrero with a leather bag, standing alongside his faithful mule with the mountains in background. A stereotype? Certainly, yet not without foundation. This gave to Colombian coffee growers an admirable archetype to aspire.
In Colombia there are more than half million families producing coffee, from the provinces that limit with Ecuador, in the South, up to those that border the Caribbean Sea in the North but most coffee is grown in so called Coffee Triangle. Also known as Coffee Cultural Landscape this area is a part of the Colombian Paisa – a region with a strong cultural identity consisting of three Colombian departments: Caldas, Risaralda and Quindio.
The beauty here is only exceeded by the friendliness of the Paisas, they are the iconic personages of the Coffee Axis. The men come with their ponchos, carriles (a type of leather bag) and machetes at their sides. The women are famed for their beauty and fashion sense.
Paisas are kind and lovely people and all the time they will want to offer the best of them and put it at the service of the world. An example of this is a typical paisa’s phrase: “A la orden” (At your service). Just make him a compliment and immediately will respond to you: A la orden! You would believe that it is just a formalism to respond, but the truth is that he is actually putting it at your disposal and always willing to offer the best he can give.
Paisas, coffee and so much more
In the minds of Colombians nationwide, the fictional character Juan Valdez – Colombia’s most famous name in coffee advertisements – is a quintessential Paisa: a hard-working mustached coffee worker, clad in a poncho and sombrero with a leather bag, standing alongside his faithful mule with the mountains in background. A stereotype? Certainly, yet not without foundation. This gave to Colombian coffee growers an admirable archetype to aspire.
In Colombia there are more than half million families producing coffee, from the provinces that limit with Ecuador, in the South, up to those that border the Caribbean Sea in the North but most coffee is grown in so called Coffee Triangle. Also known as Coffee Cultural Landscape this area is a part of the Colombian Paisa – a region with a strong cultural identity consisting of three Colombian departments: Caldas, Risaralda and Quindio.
The beauty here is only exceeded by the friendliness of the Paisas, they are the iconic personages of the Coffee Axis. The men come with their ponchos, carriles (a type of leather bag) and machetes at their sides. The women are famed for their beauty and fashion sense.
Paisas are kind and lovely people and all the time they will want to offer the best of them and put it at the service of the world. An example of this is a typical paisa’s phrase: “A la orden” (At your service). Just make him a compliment and immediately will respond to you: A la orden! You would believe that it is just a formalism to respond, but the truth is that he is actually putting it at your disposal and always willing to offer the best he can give.
