I can’t even count the amount of pieces of chocolate I ate today at Café Britt. That is how you know it was a good day.

Tourists love this cafe because of the atmosphere, food, souvenirs (which I believe T-shirts more specifically is their most popular product), and yes, of course, coffee. But most Ticos don’t drink the coffee here. I think this is mainly because they didn’t always have access to quality product, and they tended to buy the cheaper coffee in the supermarket, because why not?

Café Britt itself is the roaster of the coffee, so they don’t go through the process of milling like Doka does. They buy the beans all ready to be roasted by 4,000 different plantations over the island, and focus mainly on the selling and marketing of their product.

Café brit does a number of things which makes them super successful financially. First things first, they welcome tourism. As we were able to see how their product was made today, Café Britt has many international visitors come and tour their “farm” to get a glimpse on the inside. And then, most of the time, they end up buying the product and being loyal customers. My groups topic is “make”, and I think seeing how the product is made is extremely important when it comes to buying something. I saw the plant conditions and the aspects that went into the product I would be buying, which is settling to know.

In these tours, they also hire actors instead of tour guides. Today was basically a show: the outfits, banter, and amusement was all to keep us entertained, and it worked. It was super cool to be a part of this tour and I think it is a very smart marketing idea that should not be changed. Also, the fact that they gave out many samples convinced all of us to buy their product, so they make a good amount of money off tourism. Especially today from Pitt.

The company is also constantly launching new product, which keeps buyers interested. Each year, they produce 5-10 new blends of coffee too! Making new product constantly is what keeps businesses in the game and helps them win versus competitors.

Overall, today was fulfilling. More-so with chocolate than coffee for me.