Today, we got to visit both Doka Coffee Farms and Café Britt. Both companies are very good at what they do, but are very different from each other. Doka Farms, the one pictured, grows their own coffee and sells most of it to chains like Starbucks to be roasted. A small portion of their harvest is roasted at the farm and sold to tourists (their peaberry coffee was my favorite of the day). Café Britt, on the otherhand, doesn’t grow their own coffee, but buys coffee from various farms in the different coffee regions of Costa Rica and focuses on the roast. Café Britt’s chocolate is also very popular among tourists.

As Café Britt is a gourmet coffee brand, it’s not always affordable for the locals. The Ticos often buy low quality coffee that must be roasted with sugar to disguise the bitter taste. The best quality of coffee here is exported, often to the United States, who imports an estimated 90% of Doka’s coffee harvested. I think it’s great that coffee harvested in Costa Rica is such a global market, but also think it’s sad that most Ticos can’t afford to buy this product that is such a vital part of their economy.

Café Britt’s success comes from its appeal to tourists, who like to tour the coffee plantation and buy lots of gourmet coffee and chocolate to bring home. Café Britt knows how to market the coffee to tourists, as each location focuses on popular symbols and products from that region. With locations in airports all around Latin America, it’s easy for tourists to access and buy last-minute gifts for family and friends at home. Their business approach encourages customers to taste test all coffee and chocolate before it’s purchased, which ensures customer satisfaction and increases sales.

This approach creates a very successful business model, and is probably a very important part of Costa Rican tourism. I think it’s important to note that Café Britt’s most popular product isn’t actually coffee. The company has recognized that although they are very good at making quality coffee, the most profitable part of their business lies in other aspects of tourism. By focusing in tourism as a whole, Café Britt has created a quality travel experience for tourists from all around the world, and pioneered the exportation of gourmet coffee for Latin America.