The manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC), German Bahamon Jaramillo, announced on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, that Cafe de Colombia will serve as the official sponsor of the British cycling team Ineos Grenadiers during the current season. The agreement marks the return of the flagship brand of Colombian coffee growers to the top category, alongside its current main figure, Egan Bernal (30).
The FNC made it clear that this sponsorship goes beyond sporting visibility. Bahamon summarized it in a single sentence: “We return to the great stages of world cycling, where discipline, resilience, and excellence make the difference. We return to connect our origin with a global audience, carrying the name of more than 540,000 coffee-growing families to the most demanding roads in the world.”
The legacy of Cafe de Colombia in the peloton
The return of this sponsorship recalls the prominence of Colombian cycling in the 1980s, when the Cafe de Colombia team raised the country’s profile internationally through riders such as Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra. After years away, the brand again supports a top-tier team, convinced cycling effectively represents Colombian identity abroad.
☕🤝🇨🇴
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) April 22, 2026
We're thrilled to welcome the iconic @CafedeColombia to the team as our Official Coffee Partner 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Fnsaoauixv
John Allert, CEO of Ineos Grenadiers, celebrated the agreement with these words: “Coffee is synonymous with cycling and has a unique way of bringing people together. This alliance connects two organizations defined by consistency, precision, and a shared commitment to quality.”
Egan Bernal’s performance in the Tour of the Alps
The sponsorship announcement coincided with a week of great performances by Bernal. In the queen stage on April 23, between Arco and Trento, the Colombian appeared solid in the mountains and characteristically defended his third place in the general classification.
After the stage, he remains third in the GC, tied in time with his Dutch teammate Thymen Arensman and only four seconds behind the leader, the Italian Giulio Pellizzari of the Red Bull-Bora team. The resolution of the Tour of the Alps arrives this Friday in the final stage, between Trento and Bolzano.
Objectives for the 2026 World Tour season
Bernal’s primary objective for 2026 is the Giro d’Italia, a competition he already conquered in 2021. The Tour of the Alps serves the exact preparatory function of activating his competitive rhythm and adjusting power and strategy. The next competition on the calendar will be the Critérium du Dauphiné as part of his preparation. In the long term, Bernal does not rule out the Vuelta a España or the pursuit of the Triple Crown — Tour, Giro, and Vuelta — a dream he expressed publicly after his victory in the 2021 Giro, although Italy concentrates his attention for now.
The strategic plan of Cafe de Colombia
For the National Federation of Coffee Growers, the sponsorship of Ineos Grenadiers is the axis of an international marketing plan with three pillars. During competitions, the brand will install experience zones so that international fans can taste Colombian beans at the start and finish points.
In parallel, it will leverage Bernal’s image — a symbol of resilience after his accident — to connect with young consumers who value stories of overcoming adversity and origin. The cyclist himself expressed it this way in the announcement video: “Cafe de Colombia inspired me to ride a bike when I was a child in Zipaquira, and now I want to ensure that it will be present for future generations.”
The third pillar aims to promote the export of processed coffee packaged directly at the source, to increase the economic return to the coffee-growing families that the brand represents.
With this move, cycling and coffee, two of Colombia’s most emblematic products, join once again on the most demanding roads in the world.