Mystic Monk Coffee case analysis: strategy formulation and implementation

Father Daniel Mary is the prior of the Carmelite order of Monks in Clark Wyoming, a brotherhood of 13 Monks. The Monastery is dedicated to a life of prayer and worship; they have been living here for six years and since then over 500 young men have inquired most of who consider joining the Monastery. Father Daniel Mary has a challenge of expanding the monastery by acquiring a nearby 500-acre ranch, but lacks the needed funds. His best option is to turn the Mystic Monk Coffee activity into a burgeoning and financially viable establishment in order to help him purchase the ranch.

Case analysis

Father Daniel Mary established a future direction for the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming. He had a vision of creating a new Mount Carmel in the Rocky Mountains. A vision of transforming the small brotherhood of 13 monks living in a small home used as a makeshift rectory, into a 500 acre of monastery that would include accommodation for 30 monks, a Gothic church, a convent for Carmelite nuns, a retreat center for lay visitors and a hermitage. In addition, the Monastery could rely on the operations of the Mystic Monk Coffee to help fund the purchase of the ranch.

Nonetheless, Father Daniel Mary does not seem to have established objectives and performance targets for achieving his vision. The daily activities of the Monks are not performance target oriented and are bound to fail in converting Father Daniel Mary's vision in to reality. He has not applied the necessary procedure of setting objectives. He lacks targeted results that he can use as yardstick for measuring the monasteries performance. This is detrimental to the achievement of his vision.

Mystic Monk Coffee's strategy is most likely to produce a differentiation focus. The Monks aim to differentiate within a small number of target market segments. They focus on the United States catholic population as opposed to the 150 million coffee drinkers in the U.S. market. It does not appear to be a moneymaker. For a strategy to be a moneymaker, it needs two important elements, a plan for satisfying customer needs at a reasonable price or a price the customer will consider good value. It will also include a plan for the cost structure that will enable the company to price the products and make profits. Mystic Monk Coffee is high quality Arabica, which is most valued in the market. In addition, they have popular flavors showing the great appeal to the customers. However, the price is still not customer friendly. Mystic Monk Coffee sells coffee higher or same as premium quality specialty coffee sold in the market. Therefore, the Monk's strategy is not a winner. A winning strategy will sustain the internal and external consistency; it will also include a solid competitive advantage as well as a good financial and market performance. All these qualities are lacking in the Mystic Monk Coffee strategy.