Universidad del Rosario

Intenational Trade
Daniel S. Barrera
Santiago Lozano
Karen Palacios S.
Camilo
Global Business Opportunities Group #6
___________________________________________________________________________
​Marimba Company

1. A description of the company or the product/services which is going to be

internationalized
Marimba is a Colombian startup, whose only product is an aguapanela drink with lemon, this
is 100% natural, without plastic and seeks to promote the work of thousands of peasant
families and the tradition of this nutritious drink.
The idea was born 4 years ago, but only 2 years ago the first Marimbas came onto the market.
The founders of the company are lovers of music, aguapanela and nature, and they wanted to
project that in the brand of the drink; A Marimba is a percussion instrument that is part of the
musical tradition of Colombia, mainly from the Pacific region, it is an instrument full of
tradition, flavor and charm, just what they were looking for.
Currently, the company has 50 physical points of sale in the country, it also has social
networks that function as another sales channel. The production is scheduled every 3 months
and the growth projection every month. It is a small company compared to the beverage
sector in the country, however, they entered the market with an innovative and at the same
time very traditional product.
The company has only one product and it only has one presentation; a glass bottle with 350
ml of content, the commercial price is $ 5,000 Colombian pesos. The drink is made with
organic ingredients, without coloring or flavoring; For its conservation, the pasteurization
method is used, which makes the drink have a shelf life of 1 year.
 2. A clear statement what is the process that is going to be applied: Export or import
Marimba Company is going to export its product. To export a product in Colombia; First, the
Single Tax Registry (RUT) must be processed at any DIAN or SuperCade office, then a
market study and location of potential demand must be carried out, this is essential to know
about the potential of the product in the markets international markets, it is recommended to
do an investigation on the characteristics and aspects of the foreign market such as: the
country's demand, basic economic indicators, commercial customs, competition, access
conditions, valid commercial agreements, trends and tastes of the target market.
Afterwards, locate the product's tariff subheading through the customs tariff or in the city
information center; Following this, DIAN should be consulted if the product requires prior
permits for export authorization. After processing them, you must submit the Boarding
Authorization Request to the DIAN computer system, this step is known as the approval
procedure.
Procolombia emphasizes on remembering that prior to any Customs procedure, whether
import or export, it is necessary to enter into a contract or purchase agreement with the client
that specifies the terms and conditions for both the seller and the buyer. This contract or
agreement will include one of the INCOTERMS international negotiation standards, which
stipulate costs, delivery points, documentation and risks involved in the physical distribution
of the merchandise, for the importer and exporter.
At the time of exporting, the registration must be made in the Foreign Trade Single Window
(VUCE, for its acronym in Spanish), then the registration for determination of origin or
certificate of origin and finally carry out the customs procedures for clearance before the
DIAN.

3. An overview of geographic, economic, cultural, political, and technological factors

that creates the proposed global business opportunity (Country or countries
destination).

Taking advantage of the various Colombian geographical factors, marimba is a totally natural
product, without plastic, that seeks to promote the work of thousands of peasant families and
the tradition of this nutritious drink, aguapanela with lemon. It is in a market segment that is
boiling over, that of healthy and refreshing beverages. Marimba's purpose is to enchant all
Colombians and position this drink among children, youth and adults, they also want to reach
different parts of the world enchanting with the Colombian tradition and its magnificent drink
(aguapanela) in a moment replacing sodas and artificial drinks. Currently they are in different
physical points of sale, Medellín, Bogotá, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and Huila, they have
online platforms to make shipments throughout the country and want to enhance this online
media to be able to place orders internationally.

For the export of a positive result and not generate losses for this small company, its main
objective should be countries where panela is not produced, which rules out exporting it to
any country in Latin America, that is, its main market should be in Europe. , mainly in
France, Spain or Portugal where the product would be innovative and would have an
advantage, apart from being geographically far from the other production areas where panela
is produced, Uzbekistan and India.

Politically, the company would also have a benefit of exporting to Europe and that is that
Colombia has signed an agreement with the European Union called CAN, which helps
companies to export certain types of products to Europe, this with the condition of complying
with the requirements that are requested when exporting to this region, which, for example,
are to be clear about each of the phases of the project and have a verified certificate that the
product is totally organic

4. A description of the potential market for this product or service.

Taking into account that Marimba is characterized by offering a 100% natural product, which
takes up traditional flavors that seek to have a great impact around the world. For this reason,
we believe that one of the most important potential markets that this product can have is
based mainly on Colombians, since they are the ones who know this flavor, that is why they
will want to remember their country through a traditional drink, which also becomes a
competitive advantage over the positioning and recognition of other brands. In addition, this
potential market tends to spread easily by a way of a voice to voice, managing to monopolize
other consumers who will become potential future markets. This is due to the fact that its
refreshing and 100% natural components are well received by all kinds of people who want
to feel good and with a product that on one hand refresh, also helps them physically.

This drink has a lot of advantages to give to the potential market as it is made of organic
ingredients avoiding the addition of additives that in many cases are dangerous for health.
People who are interested in Marimba´s products worry about their health status and the
lifestyles that they have because they prefer drinks which do not have sugar included. In this
way, aguapanela with lemon can give them good satiety and they do not feel guilty because
this drink is sweetened just with the panela flavor, although it provides calories, it is not as
high as common sugar or other sweeteners.

In addition, alking about the potential market, Marimba is created to give an option for
different types of people that are looking for different drink options instead of keep drinking
sodas or juices which are unhealthy for our bodies, because usually they are characterized by
including many additives, the opposite of what happens with this company that is focused on
including organic ingredients. Marimba plans to charm the entire Colombian population
especially those who feel identify with their principles where the flavor is dances, feeling the
tradition, music and flavor of the Pacific region.
Consequently, the potential market for this product is quite wide, because it can be focused
on a target market according to the place where it is intended to export, this is due to the
diversity and variety that this drink represents. For this reason, it can be aimed at children,
young people, adults and the elderly who like a traditional flavor or who are attracted to try
new drinks.

5. A synopsis of any absolute or comparative advantages (as applicable).

Its main competitive advantage is its natural origin, in a society like today, which has given
more importance to health and good eating habits, this drink would reach the foreign market
as a solution for those looking for a drink of natural origin , with a good taste and something
exotic, for a fitness society having a drink from a recipe with only organic products sounds
like something innovative.

Apart from this, the drink would have the advantage of being the face of a culture, its creators
made it with the purpose of showing the world the Colombian flavor, not only in the
nutritional aspect, but also in the folkloric aspect, since its name and its appearance is related
to the Colombian musical and traditional culture

And to finish, the product will have two additional advantages that are subject to some
conditions, the first is its flavor, panela water with lemon is a unique flavor, characteristic of
Colombia and difficult to access in European or Asian countries, which It would give it an
advantage over other drinks that may exist in the area, and the second is its price, being a
product of Colombian origin, its sale in other countries would be cheap, the cost that the
product would have in Europe and Asia would be Much cheaper than here in Colombia,
obviously, this subject to export costs, which could increase its value but maintaining its
competition.

References:
● Guía para exportar bienes desde Colombia | Portal de Exportaciones - Colombia Trade.
(2020). Retrieved 29 August 2020, from
https://www.colombiatrade.com.co/por-que-exportar/guia-para-exportar-bienes
● ​La aguapanela con limón que está conquistando Colombia. (2020). Retrieved 29
August 2020, from
https://www.segundaoportunidad.com.co/la-aguapanela-con-limon-que-esta-conquista
ndo-colombia/
● Torreblanca, F. (2020). Marimba, la bebida saludable colombiana elaborada con panela.
Retrieved 29 August 2020, from
https://franciscotorreblanca.es/marimba-bebida-saludable-colombiana-panela/
● Torres, M. (2018). Requisitos para Exportar panela a Europa y otros países. 2020.
Retrieved 29 August 2020, from
https://zambranodigital.com/requisitos-para-exportar-panela-a-europa-u-otros-paises/