Culture

Annual Flower Festival Once Again Brings Joy, Beauty, Tourism to Medellin

Medellin Herald August 8, 2017

The just-concluded, 60th annual “Desfile de Silleteros” (flower-carriers’ parade) – the culmination of the 10-days-long “Feria de las Flores” (flower festival) – once again showed-off Medellin’s growing attraction for global tourists and an enticement for foreign investment and relocation. This

Ecotourism

Antioquia’s Private Nature Reserves Growing: Colombians, Expats Teaming-up

Medellin Herald August 5, 2017

Among the encouraging signs of Colombia’s and Antioquia’s recuperating economy, environment and security situation is a growing network of private nature reserves – overwhelmingly founded by native Colombians, but now including a few “rare-bird” expats. One such rare-bird migrant is North American-born biologist and construction contractor Doug Knapp, who two years ago

Schools

Top Bilingual Primary Schools in Metro Medellin Now Offer Ornithology Studies

Medellin Herald August 3, 2017

Bird-watching in decades past may have been considered the province of biologists and eccentrics. But it’s becoming an ever-more-popular pathway for appreciating, enjoying and defending the incredible beauty of nature. Now, two of metro-Medellin’s top bilingual prep schools – Colegio Theodoro Hertzl (CTH, see earlier Medellin Herald report on 08/24/2015) and

Companies

Violence Slams Legitimate Canadian Gold Miners in Antioquia

Medellin Herald August 1, 2017

Toronto, Canada-based Continental Gold announced July 29 that six of its security contractors died following a suspicious explosion July 28 at an illegal mine nearby its Buritica, Antioquia gold mine. Just three days later, fellow Toronto-based miner Gran Colombia Gold announced August 1 that it is trying to deal with a massive outbreak of violence […]

Companies

Nutresa First-Half 2017 Net Profit Rises 1.9% Year-on-Year

Medellin Herald July 29, 2017

Medellin-based multinational packaged-foods giant Grupo Nutresa announced July 28 that its first-half 2017 net profit rose 1.9% year-on-year, to COP$236 billion (US$78.7 million). Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) dipped by 1.3% year-on-year, to COP$527 billion (US$176 million), according to the company. Sales inside Colombia grew 3.9%

Congresses & Conferences

Colombiamoda 2017 Nets US$179 Million in New Business

Medellin Herald July 28, 2017

Medellin-based national textile/fashion-industry trade group Inexmoda announced July 27 that the just-concluded 28th annual “Colombiamoda” show – the leader of its type in all of Latin America — generated US$179 million in new business. However, that figure was down more than 50% from last year’s version — mainly as a result of this year’s economic […]

Companies

EPM First-Half 2017 Net Profits Jump 78% Year-on-Year

Medellin Herald July 26, 2017

Medellin-based multinational utilities giant Grupo EPM announced July 25 that its first-half 2017 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 33% year-on-year, to COP$2.6 trillion (US$862 million), while net profits rose 78% year-on-year, to COP$1 trillion (US$331 million). The city of Medellin – EPM’s sole shareholder – so far this year

Congresses & Conferences

Ex-U.S. President Bill Clinton Praises Medellin’s Turnaround at World Coffee Producers Forum

Medellin Herald July 11, 2017

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told an overflow audience for the first-ever World Coffee Producers Forum July 11 that Medellin’s transformation from the world’s most violent city 25 years ago to a global leader in social innovation and progress might foretell what Colombia as a whole eventually could become. Holding the prestigious World Coffee Producers […]

General News

Giant ‘Hidroituango’ Hydroelectric Project Now 70% Complete: EPM

Medellin Herald July 7, 2017

Medellin-based multinational utilities giant EPM announced July 7 that its 2.4-gigawatt “Hidroituango” hydroelectric plant project in Antioquia is now 70% complete – with an initial 300-megawatts (MW) of electric output scheduled to start at end-2018. The US$5.5 billion project – Colombia’s biggest-ever hydroelectric plant and its largest-single infrastructure project – is

General News

Guatape Tour Boat Sinks; 9 Confirmed Dead

Medellin Herald June 26, 2017

Antioquia’s disaster-recovery agency — Departamento Administrativo para la Prevención, Atención y Recuperación de Desastres (DAPARD) – announced June 29 that the bodies of the last two persons missing from a boating disaster at Guatape lake have now been recovered by divers. A total of nine passengers died in the June 25 sinking of the “El […]