Company Summary

Silvera & Sons buys and prepares raw coffee in parchment (pergamino), or coffee in its post-harvest stage. The finished product, green Arabica coffee beans are packaged in 60kg sacks and sold on the U.S. and Brazilian market. Our customers are primarily American importers and Brazilian wholesalers who provide high-quality beans to the specialty roasting market.

Company Ownership

Silvera & Sons Ltda. is a private, family owned preparer and exporter of Brazilian-grown, green Arabica coffee beans. It is owned and operated by Marco Silvera Sr. and his sons, Marco Silvera Jr. and Antonio Silvera.

Company History

Silvera & Sons is in its sixth year of operation. The current plant has been in operation for 15 years and for 12 of those years was managed by Marco Silvera Sr. who was then an employee of the former owner, Cafe Fina. Since the plant was purchased, Silvera& Sons has maintained maximum production and sales. It is currently operating at maximum capacity.

Company Locations and Facilities

The Silvera & Son's main warehouse and office is located in OuroFino. The warehouse has the capacity to prepare approximately 6,000 60kg bags of exportable coffee beans. The proposed new warehouse and preparation facility site is also located in OuroFino. The new facility will be 3.500m² and will have 30 selecting machines with capacity to prepare 40,000 bags for exportation and 80,000 bags for storage. The proposed facility will also handle shipping.

Executive Summary

1.1 Objectives

The objectives of Silvera & Sons:

• Increase production and sale from 78,000/60kg bags per year to approximately 100,000/60kg bags per year in the first year of operation at the proposed facility and reach maximum capacity of 120,000/60kg bags per year by year three.
• Increase sales substantially in the first full year of operation.
• Establish strategic relationships with 10-15 American importers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, & Seattle.
• Increase gross margins in the next three years.

1.2 Mission

Silvera& Sons Ltda seeks to serve coffee importers and enthusiasts by exceeding minimum acceptable quality standards and by providing the highest quality product at the lowest possible price. We value our relationships with current and future customers and hope to communicate our appreciation to them through our outstanding, guaranteed product quality, personal service, and efficient delivery. Our commitment to our customers and the country of Brazil will be reflected through honest and responsible business.

1.3 Keys to Success

The keys to success for Silvera& Sons are:

• Establishing and maintaining working relationships and contractual agreements with American importers and Brazilian coffee brokers and wholesalers.
• Bringing the new facility to maximum production within three years of operation.
• Increasing our profit margin with the use of improved technology in the new facility.
• Effectively communicating, to current and potential customers, our position as a differentiated provider of the highest quality Arabica beans in the world.

Products and Services

Silvera & Sons deal exclusively in green coffee, grown in the southern states of Brazil and one-hundred percent Arabica. Beans in parchment are purchased directly from growers and are de-husked and packaged into 60kg sacks in the Silvera& Sons' plant. The final product is suitable for sale and exportation.

In order to differentiate our product, coffee, which is a commodity, from the product offering of competitors, all beans are guaranteed fresh and are shipped within seven days of preparation. In addition all beans are sorted at ninety-five percent screen 18 and above compared to the industry standard ninety percent screen of 17 and above. The beans shipped by Silvera& Sons are therefore larger than most and are guaranteed fresh. In addition, all of the farms from which Silvera& Sons purchases coffee adhere to environmentally sound farming practices and avoid the use of pesticides and chemicals in crop production. 

There are approximately ten competitors who offer a product similar to ours. Our research indicates that with the additional capacity we would become one of the top four, in terms of quantity, providers. We have the advantage of established distribution channels and reputation. In addition, improvements to our marketing efforts will further separate us from the larger market and from our close competitors.