Today, we toured Cafe Britt. While some of the information in the tour was similar to the Doka tour, I learned a lot of new information about Britt’s role in the supply chain and their overall role in the coffee business. Our wonderful tour guide explained much of the coffee-making process, which was very similar to Doka, but I did gain some additional insight regarding the making of the coffee. For example, today we went more in-depth into the roasting factory and the “oompa loompas” working within the factory. Once we learned more about the logistics and marketing of the coffee, I realized the difference in the roles between Doka and Britt. Our presenter, Jesús, explained very well who buys the coffee and how exporting the coffee around the world and through e-commerce works. He explained how they export to Miami and many other nations that buy their gourmet coffee. Overall, Britt is somewhat similar to Doka as both do manufacture through roasting and packing, but Britt has a larger hand in distribution to the customers.

Cafe Britt is very financially successful for a number of reasons. In general, their gift shops perform very well, as many are attracted by the advertisement of gourmet chocolate and coffee. The deals that make customers buy many products to get some free ones are also a smart technique, as it causes customers to buy more than they will likely need. My guess is that chocolate is Britt’s most successful product, as I saw many cacao trees, and there were rows of chocolates in the gift shop. In terms of my topic of making, Britt is very financially successful due to many factors. The tour guide explained how money is saved without sacrificing quality. For example, he explained how the workers who pick the cherries do not make as much money. In addition, he explained how the sun is used to dry the cleaned coffee to save money. Lastly, there are general automations thanks to technology in the making process, such as the machines in the factories, peelers, machines to wash the coffee, and remove mucilage. It’s incredibly impressive to me how far Cafe Britt has come throughout its history, starting at the airport with small shops and now nearing a $100 million value as a company, and it goes to show the strategic planning and work that has led to such financial success.

Today was another great day for the tour, and lunch was delicious. As much as I enjoyed the dance lessons, I was sadly reminded once again that I have absolutely no rhythm. I guess I’ll stick to engineering. I’ve loved getting to know people here, whether that’s my host family at dinners or going for runs with my peers, and I look forward to learning more and hanging out with everyone at Monteverde.