Strategy-Structure Alignment in the World Coffee Industry: The Case of Cooxupé

This case discusses the evolution and challenges of Cooxupé—a coffee marketing cooperative in Brazil. Founded in 1954 by twenty‐four producers, Cooxupé experienced significant growth since 1990 as a result of direct export efforts implemented by Joaquim, the Export Director. Yet Cooxupé leaders face...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied economic perspectives and policy 2009-10, Vol.31 (3), p.653-665
Main Authors: Chaddad, Fabio R., Boland, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Coffee
Coffee industry
Crop harvesting
Crops
Equity capital
Exporters
Exports
Marketing
Marketing cooperatives
Organizational structure
Production costs
Studies
Teaching and Learning
Warehouses
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Summary:This case discusses the evolution and challenges of Cooxupé—a coffee marketing cooperative in Brazil. Founded in 1954 by twenty‐four producers, Cooxupé experienced significant growth since 1990 as a result of direct export efforts implemented by Joaquim, the Export Director. Yet Cooxupé leaders face increasing challenges ahead. The world coffee industry has evolved in such a way that growth is deemed essential for survival. The growth imperative poses additional challenges to Cooxupé. First, it becomes more difficult to originate coffees with the quality consistency expected by clients. Second, the increased size and heterogeneity of the membership may have negative impacts on cohesion. Third, financial constraints create the need to evaluate and possibly change the cooperative ownership structure.
ISSN:1058-7195
2040-5790
1467-9353
2040-5804
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9353.2009.01459.x