ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

The Colombia Companions are a German-Colombian team based in Hamburg and Bogotá, which specializes in the real estate and agroforestry sectors in the emerging country of Colombia. We develop thoughtful and market-oriented projects as interesting investment opportunities for European investors.

For decades we have been deeply rooted in Colombia that offers unique, fair, purposeful and interesting investment opportunities. We know the most important players and decision-makers, market developments, legal frameworks and market laws – key to creating value while focusing on risk management and capital preservation in the real estate and agroforestry sectors.

Since 2014, the initiators and Family & Friends have acquired three properties (development land) in the center of the nine million south American metropolis, eight apartments in the newly completed Torre Blanc building, one 1.5-hectare parcel in Anapoima, as well as a 700-hectare parcel in Vichada. The pipeline is filled with further properties, as European investors increasingly enter the market.  

 

MISION

Our investment philosophy and strategy are centered on delivering attractive economic, social and ecological returns and create fundamental stability for investors looking to diversify their investment portfolios, approach new perspectives and environments.

VISION

The initiators of the Colombia Companions are a group of successful entrepreneurs from different industries and backgrounds united by the conviction that Colombia offers a rare entrepreneurial freedom of action as well as attractive investment opportunities in the real estate and agroforestry sectors. In addition to the economic opportunities, we also keep a close eye on the social and ecological aspects of our commitment in Colombia.

OUR VALUES

    • ... to act independently of existing practices in the market and to form our own well-founded and proved opinion.
    • ... to understand all relevant topics in detail by our own, additional to established players in the city of Bogotá – architects, constructors and real estate brokers -  build on our own experience and developed knowledge in respective field and choose the best of all worlds for our co-investors.

    • ... in real estate projects: high quality, marketability and long-term profitability is more important to us than achieving the highest margin at any price in short term. Satisfaction of owners and users is the result of a prudent and well-thought-out conception and implementation of the land purchase and construction project.

    • ... to disclose everything we know to co-investors,
    • ... to communicate openly and clearly.

OUR STORY

Four questions for the initiators of their undertaking in Colombia:

When you first travelled to Colombia in the 90s and lived there for five years, what fascinated or impressed you most?

Markus Baumanns:

“Colombia is a country of many opportunities, full of dedicated, creative and hard-working people. It is indescribably beautiful, lively and open to all who want to get involved. In 2016, the country has set itself irrevocably on the road to a permanent end to the decades of violence. As a result, the positive effects that Colombia is experiencing have been strengthened”.

What were the main reasons why you decided to invest in Colombia?

Frank Sadowsky:

“Firstly: Without a broad local network, you have no chance of building up a stable investment opportunity in a foreign country. Therefore, Markus Baumanns’ deep roots in Colombia, his contacts at a decisive level as well as his decades of experience on the ground were decisive motivations for me to deal intensively with the investment market in Colombia.

Secondly, a country that is at a turning point after difficult and conflict-ridden times experiences the freedom suddenly gained after the breakthrough very intensively and thus develops an incomparably strong will to develop. This is the right moment to enter a market and to participate in the opportunities offered by the upswing. When we started our activities in Colombia, the country was at this very turning point.

Thirdly, our experience in the German market has shown that many projects are geared solely towards maximizing profits. The holistic view of things, which provides the necessary degree of stability, often fails to materialize, so that many investment ideas fail sooner or later. In Colombia there is room for projects with a long-term perspective. The possibilities to integrate social and ecological issues are complex and provide the necessary stable foundation for investment opportunities.

What do you attach particular importance to when developing investment opportunities in Colombia?

Markus Baumanns:

“In real estate investment we create something that generates a stable return for us and our co-investors. We have studied the enormously growing real estate market in Bogotá in detail and know where bubbles are developing, where they are not and how we have to act so that we do not fall into this trap. We set a new standard with our construction quality, which fits to the historical value in the immediate vicinity of the colonial old town of Bogotá.

In agricultural and forestry investment, we are creating a long-term, high-yield business that has a strong positive impact on the social and ecological conditions of the surrounding area. This is particularly important in Vichada, an agriculturally booming area that has been dominated by drug-related crime and violence for decades and is dependent on prudent and long-term investments”.

Where do you see the Colombia Companions in the future?

Markus Baumanns:

“With the Colombia Companions we have established an investment house that is the best trusted advisor for investments of non-Colombians in this emerging country. It stands for a solid and prudent form of investment as a highly lucrative alternative for ultimately completely uninteresting classic investments on well-worn paths into a dead end”.