Powering through the second coffee company tour in as many days, we have gotten the opportunity to do a comparison to see how operations vary for different stakeholders in the industry. Of course, the most notable difference between Doka and Café Britt is that they hold different positions in the coffee supply chain, with Doka focusing on growing and sourcing the beans, while Britt works with blending, packaging, marketing, and distributing. This means that, while the actual tour segment of the Britt visit showed off a lot of the similar production methods that were discussed on Monday, the real bread and butter of the visit was based on the utilization of these beans. For example, whereas the Doka plantation’s samples were mostly comparing different types/roasts of similarly sourced beans, Britt’s samples featured a variety of beans from different regions of Costa Rica, with an emphasis put on their exact notes. This also meant that the idea of blending various beans in the form of recipes was at the forefront of what we were examining for today.

Despite the contrasting roles that both of these companies had, one constant that was consistent for both was the emphasis on high standards of quality. Whether it was the extremely selective cherry-sorting process used by Doka or the squeaky-clean brand that Britt was successfully able to maintain, it felt like all of the representatives with whom we have talked have strived for absolute perfection. After all, if there was one thing that impressed me about the presentation at the end of today’s tour, it was the attention to detail that was exhibited by Britt’s branding. Not only were they very careful about offering thoroughly-tested blends and dedicating themselves to sustainability; they went so far as to avoid advertising on the basis that it would be too associated with bargain branding. While non-advertising companies are not unheard of in the United States (i.e. In-N-Out, Five Guys, etc.) it really felt like these representatives were strict about maintaining the sanctity of Britt’s brand. Considering that the idea of “gourmet” and “premium” coffee is essential to Costa Rica’s success in the industry, I suppose it makes sense that this company would focus as much on the feeling in the mind of the customer as they would the product itself.

Considering their close relationship with FedEx, Britt is certainly well-involved in the practice of product distribution. They seem to have a solid deal worked out where their physical product is moved to Florida for distribution, as there were no noticeable inefficiencies here. While I would like to know a bit more about the specific routes that are taken by each shipment to reach their final destinations, I have no reason to necessarily believe that there are any holes. What I do question, though, is the practicality of franchising out their shops throughout Central and South America. Given that franchising has a negative connotation with corporatization, corner-cutting, and inconsistency, I wonder as to whether or not this practice is hurting their otherwise air-tight gourmet reputation. This could also depend on the extent to which the shoppers that their shops serve are even aware of this practice, as there is no guarantee that this is a shortcoming. Still, it seems like they might be franchising too early in relation to the number of shops that they currently operate.

In any case, an excuse to check out more local fauna and try free coffee and food is something that always works out in my favor! Estoy curiouso para ver cómo la produción y distribución de café compara con la de las frutas que vamos a ver.