Actors Kathy Sáenz and Sebastián Martínez have launched Selva Dulce, an origin coffee brand grown on their Boyacá finca. The announcement, shared via social media, marks two decades since the couple met on a television set and reflects their deliberate transition from demanding acting careers to life on the land.
After twenty years in the public eye, two of Colombia’s most recognized television performers are trading studio lights for agricultural rows. The couple marked their two-decade milestone by presenting a venture rooted entirely in the soil of their farm in Boyacá, where they planted and nurtured the crop with their own hands. Rather than licensing their names to an external product, the actors spent four years building an agricultural enterprise designed to reflect a quieter domestic chapter.
Origins on Juegos Prohibidos and the Criticism That Followed
The relationship began during the production of the telenovela Juegos Prohibidos. At the time, both actors faced personal transitions and an eleven-year age gap that drew intense public scrutiny. 2006, 20 years since our love began. Nobody would have bet a dime on us. Who did bet on us?
, Sebastián Martínez recalled in an Instagram post documenting the anniversary.
Kathy Sáenz acknowledged the role of faith in weathering those early commentaries. Only God bet on our love at that moment
, she stated, describing how the pair forged a private bond away from the noise of the entertainment press. The couple married in December 2008 and later welcomed their son, Amador Martínez Sáenz, joining the actress’s two daughters from a previous marriage to form an established family unit.
Retirement from Television and the Move to Boyacá
For Sáenz, the shift to rural life followed a deliberate departure from the screen. After leading roles in productions including Pura sangre, Primera dama, and El penúltimo beso, she stepped away from acting entirely. In an interview, she explained that demanding schedules and physically taxing roles eventually took a toll on her health.
The truth is I had many projects going on and I felt like when you have so many things and you feel like you aren't doing either the one thing or the other well. It was so many years in which I also felt sort of tired. Acting is always very demanding, and thank God, I was going from project to project and there comes a point when the body says: 'Let's take a break for a while.' Kathy
That pause evolved into a permanent relocation to the Andean department of Boyacá. Surrounded by mountains and animals, the family established a rhythm centered on agricultural work rather than television scripts. Martínez continued his career in the Colombian television industry while simultaneously investing his time in the family’s land.
Cultivating Selva Dulce on the Family Finca
The agricultural project took shape four years ago as an effort to channel their shared domestic life into a tangible enterprise. And then over the years we thought we had it all, but our love asked for a common purpose, which is why we returned to the origin and it was there that we found our true essence
, explained Martínez regarding the decision to cultivate coffee.
Named Selva Dulce, the brand represents an origin product harvested, managed, and cared for by the family, including their son Amador. In their joint video announcement, the actors described the venture as love made into coffee
, framing it as a direct gift from their household to the public that has followed their journey. The launch drew warm public responses from notable figures across the Colombian entertainment industry, including Paola Turbay, Carlos Torres, Verónica Orozco, and Julieth Pardau, cementing the couple’s transition from television fixtures to rural entrepreneurs.