During my time in Costa Rica, I learned a lot about the supply chain of many different goods, such as coffee, bananas, and pineapple. My focus was on the sourcing aspect of supply chain. I learned that in terms of farming companies must adequately source their products from the right places to grow and produce the quality and amount of the crop that is desired. I learned that companies like Cafe Britt sources its coffee from other plantations around the country and focuses on the marketing aspect. This effects the farming process because they don’t actually grow the beans themselves, unlike Doka.

In addition to farming, firms must consider how they are going to source their machinery, mills, and export their product. At Doka we saw they have functioning machinery that was built over 100 years ago. It is important to note, that there is higher processing technology nowadays and this was just a small scale demonstration of what they used to do back then. We also learned that coffee companies export a majority of their product to the United States, Europe, and Japan. Souring the parts and equipment to make your product is crucial for any business because it ensures productivity and efficiency. We found that Doka uses machinery with parts from Germany and England.

In terms of the roasting process and retail stores, sourcing is not the main focus but if we looked at the supply chain in terms of marketing they would need to be corresponding with sourcing to make sure they had the right products to sell. So evidently all pieces of the supply chain are connected and work coincide each other.

Finally, let’s take a look at customers. Sourcing customers is important because a company should strive to grow connections and reach the target audience. You could also consider sourcing labor too. You need workers to be successful and productive just as much as you need to source customers and sell to your audience.

Overall, I will always remember this trip. For my first time out of the country I learned a lot about international business and really enjoyed seeing the hands on process of making coffee and other goods. Being in Costa Rica enhanced my education, appreciation for life, and the value of culture and tradition in other countries. I’ll miss it so much, especially my new best friends. Pura Vida!