Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Colombian coffee chain Juan Valdez has partnered with national football captain James Rodríguez and his brand 10 Coffee to launch a World Cup-inspired special edition blend, positioning Colombian coffee directly inside global football culture across Colombia, the United States, and Mexico.
The limited-edition coffee, called “El 10 se prepara con Juan Valdez” (“Number 10 Gets Ready with Juan Valdez”), will go on sale in these three markets in the run-up to the tournament, which begins in less than two weeks from the June 2 announcement, according to El Tiempo and El Colombiano. The companies are also introducing three non-alcoholic coffee-based spritz drinks—Blue Curazao Mojito, Sandía Mule, and Coco Mandarina—as part of the same activation, reported Portafolio.
According to Colombia One, the collaboration taps into a broader international pattern of elite athletes moving into ventures tied to emblematic national products, with Rodríguez’s investment in Colombian coffee positioned as a prominent example. The outlet notes that 10 Coffee, launched in 2023, first sold domestically through online channels and specialty stores before expanding to the United States, Mexico, and several European markets, giving the brand an existing footprint for this World Cup-focused campaign.
Rodríguez framed the initiative as a personal and cultural statement. “Esta alianza une dos de las cosas que más me representan como colombiano: el fútbol y el café. Me emociona poder llevar, junto a 10 Coffee, una propuesta que conecta con esa pasión que se vive dentro y fuera de la cancha,” he said, as quoted by El Tiempo. In English, he links the partnership to two of the things that most represent him as Colombian—football and coffee—and describes excitement at bringing, together with 10 Coffee, a proposal that connects with the passion lived on and off the pitch.
Lina Hoyos, Chief Marketing Officer at Juan Valdez, emphasized the role of coffee in fans’ match-day rituals. “El fútbol no es solo lo que ocurre en la cancha, es todo lo que lo hace posible. Es la preparación de los jugadores, pero también la de millones de personas que organizan su día alrededor de cada partido. Ahí es donde el café cobra sentido: en ese ritual previo, en la conversación, en la expectativa,” she told Portafolio, highlighting the drink’s place in preparation, conversation, and anticipation around games.
The coffee itself is sourced from Colombia’s Huila, Cauca, and Norte de Santander departments, according to Portafolio. El Colombiano reports that the beans are harvested by beneficiaries of Juan Valdez’s “Jóvenes Renacer” (Reborn Youth) program, which focuses on young coffee producers. The initiative was recognized in 2019 as one of Colombia’s 25 inspiring companies by the ANDI Foundation, USAID, Acdi/Voca, Portafolio, and FSG, according to the program description on the Juan Valdez site.
The same corporate information notes that in 2020 “Jóvenes Renacer” worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and 35 young coffee growers from Nariño and Huila, situating the World Cup-themed release within an existing framework of youth-focused origin projects. Juan Valdez currently operates more than 300 stores in Colombia and over 100 internationally, providing a retail platform to showcase both the special edition blend and the coffee spritz line alongside its core offerings, according to its corporate “Who we are” profile.
Colombia One characterizes the World Cup partnership as a way to leverage the tournament’s global visibility to promote Colombian coffee in North American markets, linking Rodríguez’s sports profile with Juan Valdez’s established brand presence in an example of how athlete-led ventures are intersecting with specialty coffee on an international stage.
