By John Otis TIME September 07, 2013 Will the mermaid rescue Juan Valdez? Or will she send the mythical Colombian coffee farmer and his faithful donkey over an Andean mountain cliff? That’s the question Colombians are debating following the Aug. 26 announcement that Seattle-based Starbucks plans to bring its famous green sea nymph logo to Colombia by opening 50 coffee houses over the next five years. Starbucks’ decision comes at a low point for Colombia’s coffee industry. Growers are struggling to recover from massive flooding, diseased trees, diminished yields, cratering international prices and an overvalued Colombian peso that reduces the value of coffee exports. At a Bogotá news conference, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz portrayed his company as part of the solution and noted that Starbucks is already one of the largest buyers of Colombia’s premium washed Arabica beans. But when the first stores open next year, Starbucks may put the squeeze on Colombia’s iconic...