Today we toured a company that is so well established that they said they don’t even see Starbucks as competition to them. However, most Costa Ricans don’t even drink their coffee.

How can this be? It’s because they have the power of marketing on their side.

Touring Cafe Britt was a very different experience than touring Doka was. It felt much more like a show than a lesson, as the tour guides were actors dressed in costume exchanging banter and jokes. We still learned about the coffee-making process and got to try several samples, but the vibe was very different.

During the lecture after the tour, we learned all about this company’s marketing strategies, which directly relates to our group’s topic of design and launch. They were one of the first (if not the first) places to have a coffee tour ever. This has allowed them to stand out and continue to have large success.

They have also continued to prioritize marketing, with their main goal being attracting people to their brand. They even said that they are in the industry of customer service, not coffee. They have made sure to maintain this approach by focusing on advertising, designing their stores, attracting more visitors, and increasing their partnerships. All of these strategies have worked very well, as their growth has skyrocketed in the past few years.

Despite all of this success, most Ticos don’t even drink their coffee. This is likely due to the fact that although coffee is very popular in Costa Rica, most Ticos don’t value the quality of their coffee as much, their main priority at breakfast is getting their gallo pinto just right. Therefore, they usually just buy the cheaper coffee option.

Overall, touring Cafe Britt has just further demonstrated how powerful good marketing can be. Cafe Britt is widely regarded as the best coffee in Costa Rica, and while it was delicious, they would likely not have the same level of success if it weren’t for their unique marketing tactics. Their strategies are clearly very successful, so if I were them I’d just keep doing what they’re doing!