Open Innovation Strategies for Specialty Coffee Chains: An Innovation Management Model (IMM)

The specialty coffee sector faces increasing competitive and sustainability challenges and lacks structured innovation frameworks. This study proposes an Innovation Management Model (IMM) based on open innovation for specialty coffee value chains, applied to the agro-industrial chain in Quindío, Colombia. This research adopts a mixed-methods approach and model development to identify, prioritize, and validate key variables for an IMM based on open innovation. Among the data collection techniques and instruments used, the study incorporated, in its first phase, a literature review based on the PRISMA protocol and, in its second phase, validation through workshops with experts to identify key variables and select the proposed or winning IMM. As a result of this research process, three (3) Innovation Management Models were developed. It is concluded that the specialty coffee sector requires multiple interventions to consolidate the proposed IMM-3 as the winning model, emphasizing the imperative need for alignment with the concept of Open Innovation. The importance of this study lies in the practical recommendations for implementing MGI-3 within the studied chain, with potential applicability to other agro-industrial chains in different regions of Colombia.