'This partnership marks a return to the sport' – Ineos Grenadiers announce new partners, including an iconic Colombian coffee brand

Following much gossip about new sponsors, Ineos Grenadiers have revealed deals with a coffee company and an insurance broking brand this week.

Alongside the partnership with WTW, there is a new connection with a name that will send a frisson of nostalgic recognition through cycling fans of a certain vintage: Café de Colombia, a brand with a rich historical association with the sport.

As many readers will remember, during the 1980s Café de Colombia was responsible for giving professional contracts to a talented generation of Columbian riders, including Luis Herrera and Fabio Parra, and became the name-sponsor of a pro road-racing team that competed in multiple grand tours.

The brand bank-rolled a golden era of Colombian cycling – Herrera took overall victory at the Vuelta a España in 1987 and during a stellar career won the mountains classification at all three grand tours, while Parra won stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta. And now it's back in the game.

While Ineos, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and bossed by Sir Dave Brailsford, has bases in both Belgium and Manchester, the team boasts several Colombian riders in their elite stable, including Egan Bernal - who became the first ever Latin American winner of Tour de France when he took victory in 2019, and went on to win the Giro in 2021 - and Brandon Rivera.

Last month, we reported that INEOS Grenadiers were on the brink of inking a multi-million five-year sponsorship agreement with Danish firm Netcompany, and while the deal is obviously smaller, this week the team announced Café de Colombia as its official coffee partner. (Soudal Quick-Step announced a similar agreement with Costa Coffee last month.)

“We are delighted to officially welcome Café de Colombia to the team," said John Allert, Ineos Grenadiers' CEO. "Coffee is synonymous with cycling and has a unique way of bringing people together," he continued. “Our team has a strong connection to Colombia through its riders, and we are continually inspired by the huge support we receive from fans there and around the world."

Café de Colombia, the flagship brand of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (Colombian Coffee Growers Federation) is backed by more than 560,000 coffee-growing families across 23 producing departments.

"Café de Colombia first established an iconic presence in professional cycling during the 1980s, bringing a generation of riders to the global stage," said Germán Bahamón, CEO of Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia. "This partnership marks a return to the sport – reconnecting that heritage with one of cycling's most successful teams.”