this article appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . february 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message ospina coffee headquarters charlotte north carolina 1 products ospina dynasty coffee premier grand cru grand reserve ospina presidential coffee ospina estate coffee ospina bambuco coffee divisions europe asia middle east south america and north america website www.ospinacoffee.com ospina coffee the oldest family owned coffee company in existence today citation needed was established in colombia by don mariano ospina rodr guez in 1835 . ospina rodr guez was one of the pioneers of coffee growing in colombia 2 3 4 and in guatemala . 5 contents 1 summary 2 history 3 references 4 further reading 5 external links summary edit three colombian presidents were part of this family business including mariano ospina rodr guez 1857 1861 pedro nel ospina 1922 1926 and mariano ospina p rez 1946 1950 . ospina p rez was one of the founding fathers of the national federation of coffee growers of colombia . 6 ospina coffee originated in colombia s volcanic highlands of the andes south america founded by ospina rodr guez who started his coffee business in 1835 . his experimental farm at fredonia antioquia served as a model finca cafetera coffee plantation for colombian coffee growers in the late nineteenth century . 7 8 harvard professor june erlick author of the book una gringa en bogot explains that coffee in colombia was traditionally grown by very small farmers . she says the ospinas helped to change the way the world viewed coffee . the ospina family was the first or certainly one of the first to see coffee as a larger crop and business . history edit mariano ospina rodr guez established his first experimental plantation in 1835 in the municipality of fredonia antioquia . 7 9 after ospina rodr guez and his brother pastor escaped from prison into exile in 1862 10 11 they settled in guatemala . thanks to their ability to insert into guatemala s political and economic activities their entrepreneurial spirit their access to international credit and their solid family alliances they were able to distinguish themselves when coffee plantations were spreading out . in particular their experience as the owners of las mercedes one of the largest and most famous coffee plantations of central america in those times . 12 in 1863 ospina rodr guez former president of the granadine confederation now colombia arrived in guatemala with his wife enriqueta v squez his four younger children and his brother pastor . they had been granted political asylum by the guatemalan government . they settled in the pacific piedmont region called costa cuca where they established their main coffee plantation las mercedes . this coffee plantation became known throughout central america as the most productive and best managed . 13 mariano ospina rodr guez returned to colombia with his wife enriqueta and their children on october 1871 . 14 they relocated in the town of fredonia antioquia where they continued with their coffee business enterprise and plantations . in 1880 the national press of colombia published the first instruction manual for coffee growing written by ospina rodr guez titled cultivo del caf nociones elementales al alcance de todos los labradores coffee growing basic notions available to all farmers . 9 15 16 ospina rodr guez dedicated much of his efforts to educating others about coffee . 17 in 1931 a second instruction manual for coffee growers was published under the direction of his grandson mariano ospina p rez as general manager of the national federation of coffee growers of colombia . 16 in 1882 ospina rodr guez and his two sons mariano and tulio established their first of several large scale coffee plantations and organized their larger coffee processing plants and facilities despulpadoras or edificios del caf in el cerro bravo of fredonia antioquia . 8 9 the first mechanized pulpers and mills were introduced and operated in these plantations . 18 colombian president pedro nel ospina son of ospina rodr guez took over the business in 1879 . 6 19 by 1888 the best known coffee plantations in antioquia were jonas belonging to mariano ospina v squez el amparo belonging to tulio ospina v squez la caraboya belonging to the barrientos brothers and gualanday belonging to the heirs of general rafael uribe uribe . 20 these four coffee plantations produced 46 % of the coffee grown in antioquia . 21 the ospina coffee operations growing processing and exports to europe and usa were all guided and directed by ospina rodr guez until the day of his death on january 11 1885 in medell n. 22 general pedro nel ospina besides managing his family s private coffee enterprises contributed as well to the colombian coffee industry . he used his ambassadorship to the united states in 1910 as an opportunity to promote the industry . 23 elected president in 1922 he established the banco de la republica central bank and advanced the national railway system to facilitate the commerce and export of coffee . 24 at the death of tulio ospina v squez his son mariano ospina p rez inherited several of the plantations . 25 ospina p rez also took over the business . he later founded the national federation of coffee growers of colombia organizing the nation s coffee industry and making it one of the leading commodities produced in the country . 7 in 1946 ospina p rez was elected president of colombia . 26 current ospina coffee owner mariano ospina states that it was ospina p rez who envisioned the creation of the fictional character juan valdez the tv pitchman with his burro who came to symbolize coffee from colombia . 6 19 27 references edit charlotte observer october 2 2006 monday jeff elder pg . 6a the insider who s that with jeff see below. ; colombian coffee news percolatin jeff elder federaci n nacional de cafeteros de colombia ; el caf en el desarrollo de antioquia ; editorial colina ; january 2000 ; page 14 isbn 958 33 1279 7 parsons james j. ; colonizaci n antioque a en el occidente de colombia ; trans . the colonization of antioquia in west colombia ; editorial corpuraba ; page 174 ; bogot colombia ; 1977 pizano diego ; el caf en la ecrucijada evoluci n y perspectivas ; trans . coffee at the crossroad evolution and perspective ; editorial alfaomega ; bogot ; august 2001 page 29 isbn 958 682 192 7 gallini stefania ; anuario colombiano de historia social y de la cultura ; trans . annuary of colombian social history and culture ; departamento de historia ; universidad nacional de colombia ; page 248 ; bogot colombia ; 2006 ; issn 0120 2456 a b c elder jeff march 16 2008 . the king of coffee in exile ; pet jaguars prison escapes and a tragic kidnapping how a world coffee baron came to charlotte . charlotte observer . a b c uribe c. andr s ; brown gold the amazing story of coffee ; random house inc. ny 1954 pg 113 library of congress catalog card number 55 5793 a b parsons james j. ; colonizaci n antioque a en el occidente de colombia ; transl . the colonization of antioquia in west colombia ; editorial corpuraba ; page 172 ; bogot colombia ; 1977 a b c melo jorge orlando ; historia de antioquia ; trans . history of antioquia ; editorial presencia ltd ; page 226 ; bogot colombia ; november 1988 safford frank r. ; the ideal of the practical ; university of texas press ; page 151 ; isbn 0 292 73803 x wagner regina and hempstead william h. ; the history of coffee in guatemala ; cristobal von rothkirch ; villegas editores ; page 61 69 bogot ; 2001 gallini stefania ; anuario colombiano de historia social y de la cultura ; trans . annuary of colombian social history and culture ; departamento de historia ; universidad nacional de colombia ; page 247 ; bogot colombia ; 2006 ; issn 0120 2456 gallini stefania ; anuario colombiano de historia social y de la cultura ; trans . annuary of colombian social history and culture ; departamento de historia ; universidad nacional de colombia ; page 250 ; bogot colombia ; 2006 ; issn 0120 2456 gallini stefania ; anuario colombiano de historia social y de la cultura ; trans . annuary of colombian social history and culture ; departamento de historia ; universidad nacional de colombia ; page 282 ; bogot colombia ; 2006 ; issn 0120 2456 uribe c. andr s ; brown gold the amazing story of coffee ; random house inc. ny 1954 pg 108 library of congress catalog card number 55 5793 a b federaci n nacional de cafeteros de colombia ; el caf en el desarrollo de antioquia ; trans . coffee in the development of antioquia ; editorial colina ; january 2000 ; page 43 isbn 958 33 1279 7 safford frank r. ; the ideal of the practical ; university of texas press ; page 101 ; isbn 0 292 73803 x parsons james j. ; colonizaci n antioque a en el occidente de colombia ; transl . the colonization of antioquia in west colombia ; editorial corpuraba ; page 174 ; bogot colombia ; 1977 a b hispanic november 2007 spice ; pg . 19 a feast for the senses fernandez idy el caf en el desarrollo de antioquia federaci n nacional de cafeteros de colombia editorial colina january 2000 page 28 isbn 958 33 1279 7 el caf en el desarrollo de antioquia federaci n nacional de cafeteros de colombia editorial colina january 2000 page 13 isbn 958 33 1279 7 ospina hermanos fundaci n antioque a para los estudios sociales faes medell n colombia 1984 arismendi posada ignacio ; gobernantes colombianos trans . colombian presidents ; interprint editors ltd. ; italgraf ; segunda edici n ; page 177 ; bogot colombia ; 1983 arismendi posada ignacio ; gobernantes colombianos trans . colombian presidents ; interprint editors ltd. ; italgraf ; segunda edici n ; page 176 ; bogot colombia ; 1983 alvear san n jos ; la vida ejemplar de mariano ospina p rez ; trans . the exemplary life of mariano ospina p rez ; medell n colombia ; 1992 arismendi posada ignacio ; gobernantes colombianos trans . colombian presidents ; interprint editors ltd. ; italgraf ; segunda edici n ; page 210 ; bogot colombia ; 1983 el caf en el desarrollo de antioquia federaci n nacional de cafeteros de colombia editorial colina january 2000 page 33 isbn 958 33 1279 7 further reading edit books the history of coffee in guatemala von regina wagner william h. hempstead crist bal von rothkirch villegas editores pages 61 69 bogot colombia 2001 isbn 958 8156 01 7 biograf a del caf malcom deas agosto 2009 isbn 978 958 98717 8 2 gobernantes colombianos ignacio arismendi posada interprint bogot colombia 1983 . coffee in colombia 1850 1979 marco palacios cambridge latin american studies . mariano ospina p rez un hombre de acci n y de principios miguel angel lozano fundaci n de estudios historicos misi n colombia funadaci n mariano ospina p rez editorial el globo sa bogot colombia november 1991 . 1200 a os de historia historia relatos y genealog a de los ospinas mariano ospina pe a bogot colombia 2004 isbn 978 958 44 0692 7 ospina supo esperar jaime san n echeverri editorial andes bogot colombia marzo de 1978 . la vida del general pedro nel ospina emilio robledo 1956 autores antioquenos vol 8 medell n fundaci n de educaci n superior mariano ospina p rez nov. 2009 . el bogotazo memorias del olvido arturo alape publicaciones