Today, I was woken up by the sound of a lizard climbing across the metal gutter right above my room. It acted as a nice, natural alarm clock to start the day. We then made our way to Café Britt, where we were offered an entirely different perspective on Costa Rican coffee production. Instead of focusing on the cultivation of coffee beans, the location we visited specialized in roasting the beans and selling an experience. At first, I associated Café Britt with gourmet Costa Rican coffee, but their most popular product isn’t even coffee. I believe that Café Britt’s most popular product is their chocolates. We were able to try some of the different chocolate flavors, and I can see why they’re so popular. Café Britt has prioritized building a strong public image, allowing them to be trusted by tourists to provide authentic, high-quality souvenirs and sweet treats. It’s much easier to get a souvenir or treat to bring home from a gift from a trusted brand than from an unfamiliar source.

Café Britt falls into the later stages of the coffee supply chain. Their main objectives are processing, packaging, and marketing. Instead of doing what Doka is in charge of, the agricultural side of coffee production, Café Britt represents the customer-facing side of the process. Additionally, I learned today that Café Britt’s parent company now owns and operates the Doka coffee plantation, so in a way, Café Britt has vertically integrated and now holds a larger role in the overall coffee supply chain. Beyond just offering value through coffee, Café Britt also includes theatrical presentations and interactive experiences to reinforce the brand and build strong relationships with its customers.

From a planning perspective, Café Britt clearly emphasizes their financial success in the Costa Rican coffee business. Their ability to automate certain parts of production, such as roasting and packaging beans, helps them reduce costs while also maintaining high productivity levels. At the same time, workers are utilized and relied on to provide customers with an engaging and memorable experience through tours, tastings, and souvenir shops. Café Britt keeps a stable balance of automation and personal interactions to boost both the company’s image and productivity. Furthermore, the Café Britt doesn’t stop at just coffee; they produce both chocolates and souvenirs to maximize profits. The production of the coffee, chocolates, and souvenirs is carefully managed to reduce the overall waste produced. Even the bags that are required for coffee packaging are repurposed for construction purposes. With that being said, overall, I was offered a deeper explanation of what goes into planning for a coffee company as large as Café Britt.