Today, we started the day with gallo pinto, eggs, and pineapple made by our Mama Tica! We then visited Café Britt, learned about their marketing, learned about tropical agriculture, and finally ended the day with dance lessons!

I find it interesting to learn that many local people in Costa Rica don’t drink Café Britt’s coffee since the brand has so much hype around it. However, many locals may not drink it because it can potentially be seen as a touristy thing. This is similar to how people who live in Orlando aren’t always eating Disney food. Tourists love Café Britt because it’s a unique experience, but to locals, it isn’t special since it’s so common.

It’s also interesting to note that Café Britt’s coffee is so well-known, yet it isn’t their best selling product. Based on today, I think their best selling product is one of their candy options, like the tropical fruit covered in chocolate!

In the supply chain, Café Britt is a supplier. Their main focus is not growing, like Doka. Instead, Café Britt roasts the beans, and distributes them to multiple places, like airports or hotels. 30% of their revenue comes from the hotels they sell to! Café Britt only roasts the coffee per order, leading each product to be quality.

Since my focus is on design, it’s important to look at some of the marketing approaches that Café Britt uses. Firstly, the coffee tour itself is a form of marketing. The actors used make it an engaging and unique experience, and Café Britt has had over 1 million people go on their tour. Since people get to try the coffee while on the tour and enjoy it, they may want it at home, which leads into Café Britt’s e-commerce platform. This allows for their products to be purchased outside of Costa Rica and sent straight to consumers!

Another design that Café Britt uses is making products specific to the countries they’re selling in. For example, a Café Britt shop in Peru will have Peru themed souvenirs and packaging. This is different than a brand like McDonalds, where a Big Mac is the same pretty much anywhere around the globe. Café Britt caters to specific countries, which helps them reach more specific and unique target audiences.

Lastly, it’s interesting to note that Café Britt is known for being premium coffee, yet it’s sold in gas stations. A way that they market themselves is with their packaging so that they stand out! They use the brand name on the package as leverage, as people relate the brand name with quality products.

When analyzing Café Britt’s marketing strategies, there is no doubt they use a combination of marketing techniques to reach all different types of audiences. I agree with their approach because it’s built around the quality of the brand, as the name simply draws in customers. One thing that Café Britt could do differently in their marketing is possibly making partnerships with large influencers worldwide to increase engagement and profit on their e-commerce site! Advertisements on social media often reach high engagement.

My birthday is tomorrow, and my Mama Tica surprised me with a birthday cake and a gift!