CAFÉ BRITT: A COSTA RICA PRIDE

Café Britt, Costa Rica’s leading provider of gourmet coffee, chocolates, and gifts has been on the verge of a second round of growth. It has had steady growth since its birth but had short revenue downturn in 2009. The company was started by New Yorker Steven Aronson, who went toCostaRicain1977fromEcuadorasacoffeebrokerandexporterfor a UK-based commodity trader. In 1985, Aronson startedCaféBritttosupplycoffeetothegourmetmarket. For over 20 years, Britt has been one of very few organic coffee producers in Costa Rica. In January 2012, Britt’s CEO Pablo Vargas and the executive management team mettoreflectandre-visitthegrowthstrategy.Pablo and his management team wanted to design an organizational structure to help manage Britt’s growth, while effectively managing its international operations. Thequestionsbeforethemwerestraightforward: “How could the international expansion opportunities best be managed?” and “What design choice(s) were available to create an effective organizational structure that could serve as a source of the company’s competitive advantage?