Published on March 22, 2026
Cocaine once reigned. But coffee is the king again in Colombia. As many international tourists return to the remote parts of this majestic South American country, they are reminded of Juan Valdez, the beloved face of Colombian coffee growers, rather than Pablo Escobar, the infamous symbol of a narco industry that devastated the country for decades.
Coffee tourism has become the top attraction in Colombia, and for good reason. It is now considered safe to visit the interior of the country, where small family farms are located. These areas, once riddled with conflict among warring factions, the military, and those just trying to protect their land from drug trafficking, are now experiencing a resurgence.
In towns around Chinchiná, many small family farms that struggled for survival over the past 30 years have opened their “fincas” (plantations/farms) to tourists. Visitors can take part in a hands-on coffee production lesson, enjoy tastings, and even pick coffee beans like the local workers. The harvested beans are sent to the Colombian “Collectivo” for coffee production, and some farms even provide visitors with a certificate from the Colombian government acknowledging their contribution to the coffee industry.
The pride Colombians feel for this economic stimulant is palpable. At the center of the coffee region, they erected what was once the world’s largest coffee cup, located in Parque Principal in Chinchiná. This impressive structure was unveiled in June 2019 during a Guinness World Records event, where it was filled with a record-breaking 22,739.14 liters (5,001.91 UK gallons; 6,007.04 US gallons) of coffee. Constructed over a month by a team of fifty people, the cup remains on display for everyone to admire, though a larger cup was unveiled in León, Mexico, in 2022.
Colombians are the first to acknowledge that they are not the largest coffee producers globally, and their coffee may not be the strongest nor fetch the highest market prices. However, with the violent years of left- and right-wing conflicts seemingly behind them, Colombians take immense pride in their coffee production and now have one of the largest coffee cups in the world to celebrate their journey.
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