QUERÉTARO, Qro. – 3:10 pm is “Mario Benedetti’s time”, and it is also the hour of “La Borra del Café”.
Leon Reffreger, director general and CEO of the coffee chain “La Borra del Café” (which takes its name from Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti’s work), said that a literary reference is what has marked the development of this business that opens its first point of sale in the state of Querétaro and number 23 in Mexico, in only four years.
In an exclusive interview with el Financiero, Reffrenger pointed out: “with an investment of about 3 million pesos (157 thousand USD), the first “La Borra del Café” point of sale in Querétaro is considered as the “gateway” to the Bajio Region”.
(Image: Facebook)
“Querétaro in particular, is a city that excites us a lot, because it is somehow an economy that lives a unique moment of growth in Mexico, and consider it our gateway into the prosperous Bajío Region of Central Mexico” he said.
The CEO continued: “For the next 12 months, the brand plans to open two or three more coffee shops in Queretaro, while we are already working to open in San Miguel de Allende, León, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi.
However, he acknowledged that market competition and high real estate costs are aspects that hinder the achievement of such projects.
“It is difficult to reach a harmony between the costs and the type of business that we are. Adding the market saturation in some areas as shopping malls, being the hardest part of this business” he declared.
(Image: Facebook)
During 2016, “La Borra del Café” also has projected the opening of branches in Chihuahua, Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey in order to close the year with 30 coffeehouses across the country.
According to Reffreger, the biggest challenge for a coffee franchise is: “to offer good service and maintain an innovative concept that satisfies customers’ demand.”
In “La Borra del Café” you can exchange books or watch movies in the theater, also work or conduct a meeting in areas especially designated for this purpose.
Besides, “La Borra” handles the pet friendly concept, which is a huge competitive advantage over Starbucks, Italian Coffee and many other well positioned coffee franchises.
“The coffee industry is big but not enough, therefore, we open more and more spaces, and that forces us to improve day by day.” Reffreger concluded.
Currently, “La Borra del Café” has branches in Jalisco, Nuevo León, Mexico City, Campeche, Colima and Querétaro.
León Reffreger (Photo: El Financiero)
Source: http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/
