BOGOTA – After an initial and unsuccessful foray into the coffee shop realm, Juan Valdez is making another attempt to enter international markets with a chain of Colombian cafés.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Procafecol SA, the company that runs the Juan Valdez Café brand, is planning to have 250 stores around the globe by year-end. That number is a fraction of the more than 20,000 coffee shops operated by Starbucks Corp., but it’s more than double the amount that Juan Valdez had three years ago.

"Juan Valdez is a widely recognized image, and we wanted to leverage that brand," Hernán Méndez, the company's president, told the newspaper.

However, despite brand awareness, early attempts at opening coffee shops failed. Between 2006 and 2008, Procafecol opened more than 100 stores around the world; however, many were in pricey locations and racked up big losses. Nearly all of the shops have since closed, except for a handful in locations such as airport terminals.

This time around the company is relying on a franchise model. Franchisees must buy the coffee exclusively from the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation and potential franchisees will be required to visit Colombia's coffee region and meet Procafecol executives before being approved. According to Méndez, franchisees must understand the origins of Colombian coffee and "be passionate about it," he told the newspaper.

Juan Valdez can expect competition right out of the gate: Starbucks is planning to open its first coffee shop in Colombia in the coming year.

"Well, we have a significant head start," said Méndez.