Most Costa Ricans may not drink Cafe Britt because it is very expensive compared to other coffee brands for sale in supermarkets. Cafe Britt is mostly geared toward tourists, but their higher prices are compensated by the prevalence and style of their branding. They are specifically advertised as coffee brewed the “Costa Rican” way and can be found alongside other snacks more popular with tourists. These snacks generally consist of Costa Rican chocolates covering a native Costa Rican fruit. All the products made in Costa Rica can be very enticing for tourists trying to experience the whole Costa Rican culture in a short amount of time but could be unnecessarily expensive for native Costa Ricans not interested in the novelty. In addition, the Cafe Britt branding can be found all over Costa Rica, from the supermarkets to their very own stores located in the Juan Santamaria airport. The prevalence is a great way to resonant with tourists and give a tourist the sense it is a important local brand. If the brand is all over Costa Rica, it is more probable it is one that is popular and trusted for its impeccable quality and authenticity.
Cafe Britt falls under the category “Manufacturer/Distributor” in the coffee supply chain. Cafe Britt is supplied with coffee beans and then manufactures the final product–drinkable coffee. Cafe Britt would be given the coffee beans from a supplier similar to Doka; this is where the coffee is grown and prepared to be roasted at another facility. Once the coffee is prepared, it is shipped to a distributer. Cafe Britt–acting as the distributer–roasts, packages, and sells the coffee. The coffee is both sold in their local factory gift shops and distributed to franchises, supermarkets, and stores.
A great portion of Cafe Britt’s financial successes can be attributed to its excellent performance in service. The roasting process is heavily influenced by the quality of batches sent to the facility by the coffee plantations. The quality of the roasted coffee must be ensured for customers to receive the expected caliber of product and continue to return for more business. Cafe Britt has professional, on-hand tasters which assess the quality of the coffee. The quality-control system is a very rigorous process where the coffee is examined by the taste testers for its aroma, taste, and color. All of these qualities must meet the expectations of the suppliers. Cafe Britt’s attention-to-detail and consistency related to the quality of their coffee keeps the customers coming back and wanting more.
I believe Cafe Britt has a great approach to the service aspect of business. The customers will certainly be displeased with the facility if they do not produce a coffee bean which matches their standards. This reflects poorly on the customers and will most likely persuade them to find a different roasting facility. The quality-control procedure at the Cafe Britt facility is a necessity to maintain their customers and a healthy business. If I were to do anything differently, I would probably have a portion of the tour focus more on the testing. This may look like a view into the room where they test and a deeper conversation about how the standards are established and how consumers communicate (feedback system) with the factory about the coffee. I think the testing and the overarching theme of quality control is extremely important to the good reputation Cafe Britt.

