Our Story
Started in Pereira, built around one question
Andina came together in 2018 when a small group of practitioners in Pereira started noticing the same pattern: businesses from other parts of Colombia — and occasionally abroad — were moving into the Eje Cafetero region without a clear read on what the market actually looked like. Some moved too fast. Others studied endlessly and never started. A few made decisions based on data that was months out of date.
We started Andina to give firms a different kind of conversation — one that was specific, calm, and grounded in how the region actually works. Not a generic framework, but an honest look at demand, readiness, and timing. We've never wanted to be the largest firm in the room. We'd rather be the one that gets listened to.
Today we work with small and mid-size companies at different stages of the expansion journey, from the very first question of "should we move at all?" to more detailed market assessments for leadership teams ready to commit resources. Every engagement starts with listening and ends with something you can act on.
Our Mission
To give companies entering new Colombian regions a clear, honest picture of what's ahead — so they can move with intention rather than assumption.
Since 2018
140+
Firms advised
7
Years in the region
12
Colombian cities covered
3
Core service paths
The Team
People you'll actually work with
Laura Castaño
Founding Partner
Laura spent a decade in corporate strategy before returning to Pereira to build something smaller and more direct. She leads client engagements and oversees the market assessment practice.
Mateo Restrepo
Operations Advisor
Mateo's background is in logistics and operational planning. He works with clients on the practical side of new location setup — permits, hiring timelines, and opening sequences.
Valentina Ospina
Research Lead
Valentina leads the market analysis work that underpins our Market Study service. She has a background in economic geography and a particular interest in secondary cities.
How We Work
Our working standards
These are the commitments we bring to every client relationship — not policies, but the way we naturally prefer to work.
Strict Confidentiality
Client information stays with us. We're willing to sign NDAs and we treat the details of every engagement as private by default.
Written Outputs Only
We don't end engagements with a verbal debrief. Every client receives a written document — a summary, roadmap, or plan they can keep and share internally.
Clear Scope, Clear End
Each service has a defined scope and timeline. We don't run open-ended retainers without consent — and we don't pad hours.
Direct Communication
You communicate with the people doing the work. No account managers between you and the advisor who knows your situation.
Impartial Perspective
We don't have referral arrangements with property agents, recruitment firms, or other service providers. Our advice isn't influenced by downstream commissions.
Senior Involvement
Partners and senior advisors are involved in every engagement from start to finish — not handed off to junior staff after the first meeting.
Our Approach
Grounded in how Colombian regional markets actually work
Expansion into a new Colombian city or region involves more than copying what worked in the original location. Consumer behavior, business culture, municipal procedures, and competitive dynamics differ meaningfully between cities like Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Bucaramanga, and the Eje Cafetero. What looks like a market opportunity from the outside often comes with conditions that only become clear once you start asking the right questions locally.
At Andina, we bring specific regional knowledge to that early conversation — the kind that comes from years of working with businesses making these decisions in real time, not from secondary research or sector reports produced in Bogotá. We know the Eje Cafetero well, and we've built relationships across the broader Colombian landscape that let us speak with some confidence about other target markets too.
Our work is not prescriptive. We don't tell companies what to do. We help them see the situation more clearly, weigh options more carefully, and arrive at their own decisions with better information. That might sound modest. In practice, it often changes the trajectory of a firm's expansion significantly.
Let's talk about where you're headed
Whether you have a specific region in mind or just a general question about feasibility, we're happy to have an early conversation. No pressure, no obligation.
Get in Touch