La Caja China article published on Compass from UPS

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HowLaCajaChinagotcooking UPSdeliversa tried-and-trueCaribbeanroasterto retailersand barbecueenthusiasts.

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It was Christmas1985when Roberto Guerra'sfather first mentionedthe long,woodenbox he remembered from his childhoodin Cuba.The younger Guerrawas cookinga pig on a makeshift barbecue,but was complaining aboutthe time and hassleinvolved.His father told him how the old contraption, mysteriouslycalled la caja china (theChinesebox),could dramatically cut roastingtimes.Intrigued,Guerra askedhis fatherto build one.A few yearslater,La CajaChina, the company,was born in SouthFlorida.

La Caia China'sinitial market was the sizableCuban-American population in the Miami area, but has sincegrown to include barbecue and roasting enthusiastsaround the country.Of the 8,000 roastingboxes sold last year via the Internet and by telephone,more than 90 percentwent to buyersoutsidethe area.The box has also becomethe toast of many food writers and celebritychefs.

One 2004 feature about the apparatus in The Neu York Times helped triple salesand increasetraffic to the company'swebsitetenfold.

Making the company'smost popular modelrequirescutting and joining large piecesof plywood to form the box, and then scoring,bendingand spot

welding aluminum sheetingto form a lining.Other metalpartssuchasthe charcoaltray and grid and the drip tray are producedin the company'sfactory in Medley,Fla. The rest- the racks, handlesand hooksthat line the box inside- are outsourced.SaysGuerra, "It's very important for me to know when I'm going to get my suppliesin, because one day makesa hugedifference."

A key to the company'ssuccess has beenits relationshipwith UPS.Since day one,La CajaChina hasusedUPS Ground. The company'smost popular product, which can cook a 70-pound pig in about four hours, shipsin two largeboxes,eachweighingmore than 50 pounds.LaCaja China'saccounting systemis integratedwith UPSWorldShip@ 9.0, so the companycan easily keeptrack of billing and deliverystatus.

Guerrasays:"'Without UPSand our website,there'sno way we would have beenableto grow the way we have."

"Publix was very happyI was using UPSr"Guerrasays.

Guerra expectsannual revenuesto swellfrom $2 million in2006 to $5 million in 2009 - which leavesonly the enigmaticname of the company's flagshipproduct to ponder.Guerra believesit may be from Chineseworkers who cameto Cubain the 1850s,while otherspoint out that in the Caribbean, the adjective"Chinese"is often used to describeanythingunusualor clever, Either way, its appealis no mystery.$ about integrating E Findoutmore WoddShipo 9.0atworldship.ups.com.

Goingwholehog To help expandsalesto grocerychains Iike Publix and Winn-Dixie, the company begantrials with UPSFreightsM LTL last December.Guerrareports that the trials have beena resounding success, with all deliveries arriving at the times requiredby the chains.

SPRING 2007 cotrlPeSS9