Mi corazon esta en Costa Rica por siempre. I’ve made so many memories and friendships here that will last a lifetime, and I can’t believe 14 days are almost over. From Jaime smack talking Cartigenes to seeing monkeys to eating insane amounts of insanely good food, I will miss Costa Rica.

Planning is an integral piece of every single step in the supply chain, from beginning to end. Starting at the beginning are farms. Companies like Doka have to plan on raw material costs, labor force size and cost, and then the sale of the raw product. A lot of moving pieces have to be planned in order for the company to be successful. Additionally, contingency plans must be set in place to minimize harmful situations. Forward contracts also have to be planned to maximize profits.

Processing and milling also requires extensive planning. From the layout of the mill to streamline the process to logistics for importing materials like raw coffee berries and exporting the fermented and dried coffee beans. Also, the labor force size and cost must be accounted for again.

Moving onto roasters and retail stores, planning is once again very important. Surprise! In this section of the supply chain, everything from logistics (of the roasting factory and material transportation) to which markets to sell in (like hotels, airports, supermarkets, etc) is carefully planned to maximize the profits and sustainability of the company.

And finally, customers. The customer experience is nothing if not planned. The customer experience is planned to sell as much product as possible, and even the type of customer is planned, as the product is marketed towards a specific demographic.

And with that, adios y ¡Viva la Costa Rica!