Intern: Carlos Francisco Gutiérrez Chávez, Agribusiness
Carlos did his internship on the island of Corsica, France, at Cafés Rene. Carlos’ work included the production, cost and commercialization studies of new coffee products.
Cafés Rene started as a family business that managed to become a major coffee distributor on the island, selling its product directly to the final consumer, restaurants, cafes, offices and hotels.
Carlos learned to use a 60 Kg coffee roaster in order to have the ideal roast in specialty coffees. A specialty coffee requires high quality raw materials, therefore, the meticulous production process begins with tasting rounds followed by bean roasting. In the cupping, different organoleptic characteristics are evaluated, including: acidity, body, aroma and flavor. Coffee can be sold under a designation of origin or by creating a coffee blend in order to find a balance between the characteristics.
“I was in charge of several projects. One of them was the analysis for the commercialization and production of a coffee called Cold Brew Coffee, for which I had to calculate the cost of production. Additionally, I created a survey to generate more information from customers when tasting coffee. The results will show whether the creation of such a product would be feasible.” Another responsibility was the analysis of the expansion of the company towards other niches.
The experience at Cafés Rene has contributed substantially to Carlos’ professional training in the field of business administration.
