PROPOSAL: CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN – COFFEE SPONSORSHIP & TRADE AGREEMENT To: Los Angeles County Economic Development / International Trade Partners From: Evan Winter, Fiveo1 Date: August 24, 2026 Project: CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN Specialty Coffee Initiative Related Brand Infrastructure: SERIES RONG MERIJANA Primary California Market: Los Angeles County / Catalina Island --- 1. Executive Summary CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN proposes a comprehensive specialty-coffee sponsorship, trade, and economic-development partnership serving the Los Angeles County market and connecting California distribution with Latin American coffee-producing regions. The initiative builds upon the existing SERIES RONG MERIJANA brand infrastructure and its proposed sourcing relationships across Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. The coffee program would establish a premium California-origin brand centered on traceable origin sourcing, specialty roasting, product development, experiential marketing, and international trade. Los Angeles County provides a strong platform for the initiative because of its concentration of international commerce, logistics, consumer markets, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, and access to the San Pedro Bay port complex. The initiative has three primary objectives: 1. Establish CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN as a premium specialty-coffee brand with California identity and Latin American origin sourcing. 2. Create measurable sponsorship and commercial opportunities within Los Angeles County. 3. Develop a scalable trade corridor connecting Latin American coffee origins with California processing, distribution, hospitality, retail, and export markets. Current market data supports the opportunity. The global specialty coffee market is estimated at approximately $35.0 billion in 2025, approximately $37.4 billion in 2026, and projected to reach $52.1 billion by 2031, representing approximately 6.9% CAGR. --- 2. Market Opportunity 2.1 Specialty Coffee Market The specialty coffee sector is experiencing sustained premiumization and expansion. Market Indicator| Current / Forecast Global specialty coffee market, 2025| $35.0 billion Global specialty coffee market, 2026| $37.4 billion Global specialty coffee market, 2031| $52.1 billion 2026–2031 CAGR| 6.86% North America's 2025 share| 34.25% Asia-Pacific CAGR| 8.03% North America represents the largest regional specialty-coffee market, while Asia-Pacific represents one of the fastest-growing regional markets. The broader specialty coffee shop market is estimated at approximately $70.33 billion in 2025, increasing to approximately $77.7 billion in 2026. --- 3. Trade and Tariff Position 3.1 Latin American Origin Network CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN's proposed coffee sourcing network encompasses: - Colombia - Nicaragua - Honduras - Guatemala - Mexico These markets operate under different U.S. trade frameworks, including: Origin| U.S. Trade Framework Guatemala| CAFTA-DR and 2026 U.S.-Guatemala Agreement on Reciprocal Trade Honduras| CAFTA-DR Nicaragua| CAFTA-DR Colombia| U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Mexico| USMCA The sourcing strategy therefore uses the applicable preferential trade framework for each origin rather than treating all five countries as having identical tariff treatment. --- 4. Sponsorship Proposal 4.1 Sponsorship Tiers Tier| Proposed Investment| Principal Benefits Presenting Sponsor| $250,000| Exclusive category positioning, logo placement, VIP access, product integration, co-branded materials Event Sponsor| $100,000| Event branding, sampling, digital promotion, signage Coffee Break Sponsor| $25,000| Branded cup sleeves, signage, product placement, sampling --- 4.2 Core Deliverables Product Integration CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN coffee supplied for approved sponsored events, meetings, hospitality functions, and experiential activations. Brand Visibility - Logo placement on approved event materials. - Digital recognition. - Physical signage. - Co-branded promotional materials. - Product displays. Consumer Sampling - Specialty-coffee tastings. - Origin demonstrations. - Roasting and preparation demonstrations. - Coffee-and-Merijana pairing experiences. Digital Promotion - Co-branded social-media campaigns. - Trade-event content. - Product storytelling. - Origin-focused content. - California/Latin America trade storytelling. Trade-Mission Participation Opportunities for inclusion in appropriate trade, business-development, or international-market activities where CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN's participation is commercially relevant. --- 5. Competitive Position 5.1 Competitive Landscape The specialty coffee market contains global chains, national brands, independent specialty roasters, ready-to-drink companies, and origin-focused specialty brands. Major international participants include: - Luckin Coffee - Cotti Coffee - Lavazza - Dunkin' - Tim Hortons CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN is not positioned to compete primarily through advertising expenditure or store count. Its differentiation is based on origin identity, traceability, California branding, Latin American producer relationships, specialty positioning, experiential marketing, and international trade storytelling. --- 6. Competitive Advantage 6.1 Multi-Origin Sourcing The proposed sourcing network provides the ability to develop: - Single-origin releases. - Regional blends. - Seasonal coffees. - Limited editions. - Origin-specific packaging. - Comparative tasting programs. 6.2 California-Origin Brand Positioning CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN is designed as a California-origin consumer brand built around Latin American agricultural origins and California-based brand development, processing, marketing, distribution, and experiential retail. 6.3 Coffee and SERIES RONG MERIJANA Synergy The coffee initiative can operate alongside SERIES RONG MERIJANA, creating opportunities for: - Coffee-and-Merijana pairings. - Joint gift packages. - Hospitality products. - Event sampling. - Limited-edition products. - Cross-brand customer acquisition. - Shared marketing infrastructure. The Merijana component is treated as a separate product category from the coffee program and is not characterized as a mint product. --- 7. Sponsorship ROI Framework 7.1 Measurement Model The proposed sponsorship program uses a measurable performance framework rather than presenting a guaranteed return. The target model is: 5.0x gross value multiple = $5.00 in attributable gross commercial value for each $1.00 of sponsorship investment. For a $250,000 presenting sponsorship: - Sponsorship investment: $250,000 - Target attributable gross commercial value: $1,250,000 - Target incremental value above sponsorship cost: $1,000,000 - Equivalent net ROI: 400% Measurement Categories Metric| Measurement Direct sales| Trackable sales attributable to activations Sampling conversion| Purchases following sampling Hospitality accounts| New commercial accounts Retail placement| New points of distribution Digital reach| Verified impressions and engagement Trade leads| Qualified commercial leads Export leads| Qualified international opportunities Brand exposure| Earned and sponsored media value Repeat purchase| Customer retention and reorder rates --- 8. Three-Year Commercial Projection Year| Projected Revenue| Marketing / Sponsorship Spend| Projected Revenue Less Marketing Spend| Annual Growth Year 1| $1.20M| $250K| $950K| — Year 2| $2.80M| $400K| $2.40M| 133.3% Year 3| $5.00M| $600K| $4.40M| 78.6% Two-Year Revenue CAGR From $1.20 million in Year 1 to $5.00 million in Year 3, the implied two-year CAGR is approximately: 104.2% The projected company growth rate is therefore substantially above the underlying specialty-coffee market CAGR and represents an early-stage expansion scenario. --- 9. Supply-Chain Framework LATIN AMERICAN COFFEE ORIGINS | +-- Colombia +-- Nicaragua +-- Honduras +-- Guatemala +-- Mexico | v ORIGIN PROCESSING / EXPORT | v CALIFORNIA IMPORT & LOGISTICS | +-- Port of Los Angeles +-- Port of Long Beach +-- LAX Air Cargo | v CATALINA ISLAND / CALIFORNIA BRAND DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCT OPERATIONS | +-- CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN COFFEE +-- SERIES RONG MERIJANA | v LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRIBUTION | +-- Specialty Retail +-- Hospitality +-- Restaurants / Cafés +-- Events +-- Corporate Programs | v U.S. & INTERNATIONAL MARKETS --- 10. Los Angeles County Partnership Framework 10.1 Economic Development The proposed relationship centers on economic-development and international-trade collaboration. 10.2 Proposed Partnership Areas International Trade Support for identifying qualified commercial relationships and international market opportunities. Business Development Connections to appropriate regional businesses, hospitality operators, retailers, investors, and trade organizations. Export Development Assistance identifying potential export markets and commercial partners. Trade Missions Potential participation in appropriate international business-development missions. Regional Economic Impact Development of a California-based specialty-coffee business capable of generating: - Import activity. - Processing activity. - Distribution. - Retail sales. - Hospitality sales. - Marketing and creative services. - International trade relationships. --- 11. Future Growth & Innovation 11.1 Product Expansion - Seasonal coffee blends. - Single-origin releases. - Limited-edition origin collections. - Specialty espresso. - Cold brew. - Ready-to-drink coffee. - Gift sets. - Coffee-and-Merijana pairing products. 11.2 Experiential Retail Signature Locations Potential CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN retail and tasting locations in Los Angeles County and Catalina Island. Origin Tasting Events Consumer experiences built around geographic origin, roasting profiles, preparation techniques, and coffee-and-Merijana pairing. Trade Events Participation in appropriate specialty-coffee, hospitality, food, beverage, tourism, and international-trade events. --- 12. Cultural and Commercial Partnerships The initiative is designed to support partnerships with: - Los Angeles artists. - Hospitality companies. - Hotels and resorts. - Restaurants. - Specialty retailers. - Coffee professionals. - Tourism organizations. - Trade organizations. - Latin American producer organizations. - Corporate hospitality programs. Limited-edition packaging and origin collections can connect Los Angeles identity with Latin American coffee-producing regions while providing recurring commercial campaigns. --- 13. Trade Infrastructure 13.1 Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach The San Pedro Bay port complex provides direct access to one of the world's major maritime trade gateways. 13.2 LAEDC LAEDC's economic-development, international-trade, and foreign-direct-investment activities provide a potential regional platform for business development and international market expansion. 13.3 U.S. Commercial Service The U.S. Commercial Service provides federal export-development resources for U.S. companies pursuing international commercial opportunities. --- 14. Proposed Partnership Structure Stage I — Market Entry Objective: Establish the brand. - Develop initial coffee portfolio. - Establish origin relationships. - Establish California processing and distribution. - Launch Los Angeles County sampling. - Develop hospitality accounts. - Initiate sponsorship activation. Stage II — Regional Expansion Objective: Establish commercial scale. - Expand retail distribution. - Expand hospitality relationships. - Establish recurring event programs. - Develop corporate coffee programs. - Expand direct-to-consumer sales. - Develop trade relationships. Stage III — International Expansion Objective: Build a California-to-Latin-America-to-global commercial platform. - Expand U.S. distribution. - Establish export relationships. - Introduce origin-specific international products. - Participate in qualified international trade missions. - Expand hospitality and tourism partnerships. - Develop international wholesale accounts. --- 15. Economic Impact Objectives The proposed initiative is intended to create measurable economic activity through: 1. Agricultural purchasing from Latin American coffee origins. 2. U.S. import and logistics activity. 3. California processing and product development. 4. Los Angeles County distribution. 5. Hospitality and retail sales. 6. Marketing and creative services. 7. Tourism-related consumer experiences. 8. International trade relationships. 9. Potential employment growth. 10. Expansion of California-origin branded exports. --- 16. Proposed Performance Dashboard Category| Year 1 Target| Year 2 Target| Year 3 Target Revenue| $1.20M| $2.80M| $5.00M Marketing / Sponsorship| $250K| $400K| $600K Commercial Accounts| 25+| 75+| 150+ Retail / Hospitality Locations| 15+| 50+| 100+ Origin Programs| 3| 5| 5 Trade Leads| 25+| 60+| 100+ Export Opportunities| 5+| 15+| 30+ --- 17. Contact and Partnership Channels Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) 444 S. Flower Street, 37th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213) 622-4300 "LAEDC Official Website" (https://laedc.org/) U.S. Commercial Service U.S. Department of Commerce — U.S. Commercial Service "U.S. Commercial Service" (https://www.trade.gov/) Fiveo1 Evan Winter Fiveo1 Contact information as provided by proposer --- 18. Conclusion CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN – Coffee Sponsorship & Trade Agreement presents a California-based specialty-coffee development platform connecting Latin American coffee origins with Los Angeles County's consumer, hospitality, logistics, economic-development, and international-trade infrastructure. The initiative combines: - $37.4B estimated 2026 global specialty-coffee market - $52.1B projected global specialty-coffee market by 2031 - Approximately 6.9% specialty-coffee CAGR - Five proposed Latin American sourcing origins - California-origin brand development - Los Angeles County distribution - International trade opportunities - Coffee and SERIES RONG MERIJANA product synergy - Experiential marketing - Hospitality and retail expansion - International market development Proposed Sponsorship Levels Presenting Sponsor: $250,000 Event Sponsor: $100,000 Coffee Break Sponsor: $25,000 Three-Year Commercial Projection Year 1: $1.20 million Year 2: $2.80 million Year 3: $5.00 million Projected Year 1–3 revenue CAGR: approximately 104.2% CURIOUSLY WINTER ROTEN seeks to establish a strategic California–Latin America specialty-coffee platform through Los Angeles County, combining agricultural origin relationships, California brand development, international trade, hospitality, retail, sponsorship, and global market expansion. Evan Winter Fiveo1