The Colombian coffee giant has opened its first shop in San Jose near La Sabana Park, and plans to open five more coffee shops throughout Costa Rica this year.

The first store at La Sabana saw an initial investment of $450,000, and the coffee shop currently employs 20 people directly and 24 indirectly. The full investment for opening five shops in Costa Rica is estimated at $2 million dollars. The company is enthusiastic about its prospects in Costa Rica, and is seeking to expand into the highly competitive market place.

Other Juan Valdez stores are set to be opened in Desamparados, Alajuela Province and Heredia Province. The company also currently has stores in Panama and El Salvador, but it plans on expanding its market even further into Central America in the coming years. They are planning to open 40 new locations in the region with 15 of them being located in Costa Rica.

Juan Valdéz is a fictional character that has appeared in the same named Colombian Coffee Company’s advertisements and slogans since 1958. The character is said to represent the 500,000 coffee farmers that hail from Colombia, and often appears in advertisements with his mule Conchita. As of 2013, there were 135 coffee shops in Colombia and 35 shops in other countries.

Juan Valdez is a coffee brand that is solely grown in Colombia.