Today was a study more of marketing and promoting coffee than actually growing it. When hearing from Café Britt today, it was clear that creating a gourmet brand is just as much about customer outreach as it is quality control. I found this approach much different than Doka’s which seems to have a much higher priority on perfecting the coffee itself rather than its brand. If I had to make an assumption based on what information I’ve gathered so far I would think Costa Ricans don’t drink Café Britt because it’s geared more towards tourists than actual residents.
From what I gathered about their strategies when expanding to other countries Café Britt researches and studies what makes locals feel inclined and personable when purchasing their coffee. They go as far as to change the landscape of the cafes and stores, source from the finest local coffee beans, and adapt to their customs to immerse themselves as much as possible. However, they did not mention much about using these same methods for Costa Rica. A tourist may be fine paying premium prices for “gourmet” coffee because they feel as though they’re getting something special or a resident of Chile because the coffee shop matches their usual atmosphere. A native Costa Rican though is just presented with American fueled advertisements and expected to feel impacted the same way. I would also point out that in the supply chain Britt is much more of a middle man so to say than Doka. Although both are vital processes, Doka is actually producing the beans while Café Britt is more so getting it ready for consumption. I believe this makes Doka more valuable to Costa Ricans because they aren’t just paying for roasted mixtures but rather buying the exact beans made in the volcanic mountains. It just seems to me that Doka and Britt are like apples and oranges in comparison, two different operations in the same field of business.
My group’s topic was service which is a massive amount of Café Britt’s company, they make much of their money from the “experience” of great coffee they offer. Their methods of having cafes offer superior tasting services and backgrounds on the different coffee definitely drive interest from tourists with money to spend and potentially create future clients if they enjoy it. Their quality control was also a major part of their service, they mentioned their main coffee taster has been with the company for over 25 years. With continued efforts to mold their business for each country, they enter as well as their commitment to excellence I don’t see success coming to an end anytime soon. I believe their expansion into the popular subscription services as well as a focus on the chocolate business they will see much more sales among their own Costa Rican residents.