Alquería Will Change Its CEO After Doubling Colombian Business

Alquería is preparing to replace its chief executive. Rafael Álvarez is due to step down at the end of November after seven years in charge of one of Colombia’s leading dairy companies.

The company’s board has started the process of choosing the next CEO. Alquería has not announced a name for the position, and the board will communicate the next steps in the succession process.

The company said its current strategy would continue and that operations would proceed normally until the leadership change is completed. The announcement therefore sets out a transition timetable but does not identify a new chief executive.

Álvarez’s departure follows a period in which Alquería expanded its business. In 2025, the company reported revenue of nearly 2trn Colombian pesos. That figure was twice the size of the business five years earlier.

During Álvarez’s tenure, Alquería also broadened its product range beyond milk. Its portfolio includes cheeses, yoghurts, oat products, dairy drinks, cream, arequipe and snacks. The company consolidated the Del Vecchio, Freskaleche and Vitad brands.

More than 40% of Alquería’s sales now come from categories other than milk. The company has operated for more than 66 years, and in recent years it combined the expansion of its categories with changes to its organisational structure and culture.

Carlos Enrique Cavelier, executive chairman of the board, said that Alquería had grown, diversified and strengthened its capabilities during Álvarez’s leadership. The board remains responsible for the succession process, while the company continues operating under its existing strategy until the handover.