The trip to Cafe Britt showed me different aspects of the Costa Rican coffee business than Doka did. While Doka was mostly focused on production, sourcing, and growing, Cafe Britt specialized in the roasting, manufacturing, and marketing of coffee. At Doka, we learned about the life cycle of the plant and spent more time discussing the picking process. On the other hand, Cafe Britt’s facilities were mainly just for roasting. They roast by the order so they ensure their gourmet product is as fresh as possible and there is not excess product degrading in quality. Due to their focus on branding and quality sourcing, Cafe Britt is considered a gourmet distributor. As a result, many Ticos choose cheaper options to save colones, while still enjoying quality coffee. Cafe Britt also sells a lot of chocolate, which I would guess is their most sold product, because we learned it is not coffee.

My team’s topic is sourcing, which definitely applies to Cafe Britt. The company sources labor, and this was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, when they had to lay off 85 percent of employees, many of whom were on the marketing teams. When retail stores in airports and tourist destinations shut down, the demand for labor drastically fell. Another product they source is the coffee beans themselves, as they primarily buy coffee from producers and then roast it. In order to ensure quality, Cafe Britt has been purchasing some of these producers and suppliers themselves, which is what happened with Doka. By vertically integrating, Cafe Britt can reduce factors out of their control with the production process. I definitely agree with this approach because it streamlines the process. This concept has been used for hundreds of years, as we saw it with Carnegie and his steel mils when he purchased many companies along the supply chain in order to vertically integrate.

If I were to do something differently, I would keep the water mill intact at Doka. The speaker at Cafe Britt said they were going to replace it, but I would keep it for tours. By showing this unique process that has been used at Doka for decades, Cafe Britt can strengthen their brand by giving it a look of culture and heritage. They should still use the new technology they were discussing, but turning the water mill into a historical spectacle could make tourists view the brand as “timeless” and in touch with older generations and their ways. The company could also strengthen the brand by making a clear effort to hire women along all steps of the coffee process, as they are underrepresented in the industry, as we learned from the agronomists’ lecture at the university. By showing openness to employing people regardless of gender and treating them equally even as pickers and processors, Cafe Britt could become known as a brand of the future and equality.