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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

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Cafe Britt Eyes Europe, IPO

How Costa Rica's Cafe Britt has become the country's most international company. Now it's eyeing Europe and an IPO.

EXPANSION Costa Rica's Cafe Britt has expanded internationally, selling products like coffee and chocolates and opening stores in markets like Peru (above). (Photos: Cafe Britt)

BY TYLER BRIDGES

A full 25 years after Café Britt was founded as Costa Rica’s first gourmet coffee roaster, chief executive officer Pablo Vargas has to pause a moment when asked to describe the company today.

“It’s a coffee company and also a chocolate company and also a retail company,” Vargas said with a laugh.

Vargas has reason to be jovial these days.

Whatever it’s called, there’s no denying that Café Britt is a fast-growing company poised for even more expansion.

After providing top-notch coffee for Costa Ricans, the company began selling cappuccinos and espressos from a golf cart at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose in 1995, opened a gift shop selling coffee, chocolate and local handicrafts at the airport in 2001 and now has expanded the gift shop model to nine other airports, all but one in the Americas.

Café Britt just ...

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Keywords: Chile, Costa Rica, Europe, IPO, Lima Airport Partners, Mexico, Miami, New Caledonia, Pacific, Peru

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