In the Bean Around the World challenge, teams take the role of coffee traders in providing the supply chain from producer to outlet, and finally to the ever-fickle consumer. Teams make money by buying coffee from the suppliers, trading with the other syndicates and then selling coffee blends to the customer at a profit!

From Kenya to the Caribbean, and from Brazil to Borneo, to succeed in the coffee business takes excellent market intelligence and fantastic service, combined with the ability to respond quickly to ever-changing consumer trends and tastes. Teams buy and sell to maximise their reward, experiencing both sides of the customer equation. The game is played over a period of 3 years with the winners being the syndicate which the most cash at the end of the third year.

Results: Bean Around the World is a competitive team game that focuses on issues such as, short-term success versus long-term strategy, risk management and win-win negotiation. This experiential business game has been carefully constructed to break down silo mentality and ensure collaboration between teams working to a common goal.

Participants experience changing market forces, build supply chains and develop their understanding of customer requirements. It highlights the importance of information gathering, adaptive behaviour and understanding markets and commodity values.