The Ecuadorian coffee Rico Suave arrives on Amazon and from its New Jersey warehouse it intends to cover three countries

The goal is to initially ship half a container per month with the product.

Two months after beginning the process to access the e-commerce giant, Rico Suave coffee managed to enter the Amazon platform for sale in the markets of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The premium coffee, which takes the name of one of the musical hits of Ecuadorian singer Gerardo Mejía, one of the three partners in this project, entered e-commerce almost eight months after the introduction of this product.

Leveraged by a marketing strategy that includes commercials on social networks and the boost that Mejía has given it, the brand has tried to position itself these months among Ecuadorians and Hispanics who remember the singer's career.

In the United States they began selling the coffee through the brand's web portal and in Ecuador through the La Molienda, Del Portal and Mi Comisariato establishments.

A video in which two American police officers drink coffee and one of them believes that the bean is of Colombian origin, and receives correction from the other, who tells him that it is Ecuadorian, marked the beginning of the promotional campaign. After that video, other sequences have arrived with Larry, one of the commercial's officers.

On the Amazon portal, the coffee is sold from $11.99. It is of the Arabica coffee variety and is identified as a premium product on the packaging.

The production is made in the company Agrogora, which has distribution in Ecuador. In the United States it is distributed with Ecuapro Inc.

Wilson González, coffee producer and exporter and one of Mejía's partners in this project, says that the arrival on Amazon opens the possibilities for the placement of this product to grow, as it will allow coverage throughout the United States.

He says they have the advantage of having product availability in a warehouse in New Jersey, on the east coast of the United States, something that will allow them to manage logistics with Amazon. The coffee that is exported from Guayaquil arrives at that winery.

“This allows us to reduce costs, secure transactions and improve delivery time,” says González, who met Mejía during his trips to promote the coffee he produces. The other partner in this venture is Fausto Zúñiga.

Rico Suave's initial sales projection upon entering Amazon is to ship about five pallets of coffee per month, which would be equivalent to exporting half a container per month.

It won't be easy on Amazon, as the competition is strong with products from several countries. But González maintains that this coffee has potential, since specialty coffee is used to make it, which allows us to obtain a good cup and a competitive product.

Agrogora works with producers from Loja, El Oro and Manabí to obtain the raw material, which has a standardized production process.

The next step is to reach Amazon in the United Kingdom and other European countries. González indicates that, although they have started by appealing to the Ecuadorian and migrant market, they believe that coffee has the conditions to be able to reach any coffee consumer in the world.

“We are working on the production issue to be prepared. The plan is to grow and also grow in the local market,” says González, who anticipates that they are talking with other supermarket chains to be able to have greater penetration.

In Ecuador, a presentation of 340 grams is sold, the price of which is around $6.29. In local stores it competes with brands such as Café Gardella, Minerva, Sweet & Coffee and others that have similar presentations.

Local demand for coffee has been increasing after the emergence of coffee chains in recent years, but consumption is still low compared to other countries. Per capita coffee consumption is estimated to be below 1 kilo. In Colombia, Peru and Brazil each person can drink between 1.5 and 6 kilos a year.

Galapagos and Loja have their spaces in international chains

Ecuadorian coffee has also opened a space in large international coffee chains in recent years. The coffee produced in the Galapagos Islands, which is a product with designation of origin, is sold in limited editions by the Swiss chain Nespresso.

Special Reserve Galapagos is described as a grain in which the consumer can pick up sweet notes of full-bodied cereals and cookies. “A touch of bitterness similar to that of cocoa marks the roasted character of this coffee,” says the description.

Galapagos coffee already had the opportunity to enter the American Starbucks years ago. Currently, in addition to Switzerland, this Ecuadorian product is sent to Spain, Japan and Germany.

Currently, Loja sells his coffee at Starbucks Reserve, the chain's luxury stores. The product has entered that chain since 2019 through a company of Colombian origin, which works with small farmers in that province.

Lojano coffee has gained greater reputation in the international and national market in recent years after winning awards and recognition for its quality. Several local brands and cafes use raw materials that come from that province.