La Estrella

Company

• Business name: La Estrella
• Legal name: unknown
• Business category: Cafe (inferred; not explicitly confirmed)
• Website: la-estrella.com (confirmed via Diego Ferrante's email signature, 2026-07-14 and 2026-07-20 emails)
• Instagram: unknown
• Number of locations: 3 confirmed currently (New York); plan to expand to 15 cafes globally next year (stated plan, not yet realized — treat as estimate)
• Account owner: unknown

Locations

Location 1

• Location name: Soho shop
• Address: 284 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012, USA
• Opening date: unknown
• Shipping address: unknown
• Status: Confirmed via the 2026-07-23 tasting calendar invite (organized by Diego) and Diego's own 2026-07-20 email referring to it as "our Soho shop"; this is where the 2026-07-23 tasting was conducted.

Location 2

• Location name: unknown
• Address: 1329 Willoughby Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
• Opening date: unknown
• Shipping address: unknown
• Status: Estimate — sourced via web search on 2026-08-04, not yet confirmed by direct customer contact. Possibly (not confirmed) the cafe our rep visited on 2026-07-16 to obtain Diego's email; that visit's location was not recorded.

Contacts

Contact 1

• Name: Diego Ferrante
• Role: Managing Director, La Estrella · New York (confirmed via email signature on 2026-07-14 and 2026-07-20 emails)
• Email: diego@la-estrella.com
• Phone: (+1) 555 010 1234 (confirmed via email signature)
• Preferred channel: email
• Decision role: Sole known contact and a confirmed senior title (Managing Director); personally organized/hosted the 2026-07-23 tasting calendar invite. However, on/around 2026-08-05 he indicated he needs to consult business partners before finalizing a sourcing decision, so he is not confirmed to be the sole final decision-maker.

Commercial Information

• Current matcha supplier: unknown (not disclosed by name); recently raised price from $150/kg to $200/kg, prompting La Estrella to reassess suppliers
• Estimated monthly usage: ~60-63 kg/month across the 3 current New York cafes (confirmed); expansion to 15 cafes globally planned for next year (stated plan, treat as estimate)
• Payment terms: unknown
• DUNS number: unknown
• Notes: Our pricing is described as not negotiable except on shipping, where some discount room exists. Current supplier's remaining (post price-hike) stock is expected to run out in ~2 months from the 2026-07-23 tasting (~2026-09-23 estimate) — this is the effective decision deadline. As of 2026-08-05, Diego indicated he needs to consult business partners before deciding; we offered additional free samples if useful for that internal evaluation.

Data Quality

• Last verified: 2026-08-05
• Verified by: Gmail sync (email signatures, calendar invite) and prior context drop (typed note)
• Open profile questions: confirm whether the 2026-07-16 site visit and/or the Brooklyn (Location 2) address are actually associated with La Estrella, or whether Soho (Location 1) is the only relevant NY site; confirm legal name and Instagram; confirm identity of current supplier; confirm which tasted SKU(s) La Estrella preferred (ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN were tasted; no feedback recorded); confirm who Diego's "business partners" are and their role in the decision; confirm whether Diego personally ran the 2026-07-23 tasting or a different manager did.

Current Situation

La Estrella has been an unusually responsive prospect across a multi-week outreach. Our rep visited a La Estrella cafe on 2026-07-16, obtained Diego Ferrante's email, and sent an introduction; Diego (Managing Director, La Estrella · New York — confirmed via his email signature) responded the same day. Scheduling emails followed on 2026-07-17 and 2026-07-20, and a tasting was confirmed for 2026-07-23 at La Estrella's Soho shop (37 Crosby Ln, New York, NY 10013 — confirmed via the calendar invite Diego himself sent and his own email calling it "our Soho shop"). The tasting was completed on-site 2026-07-23; per an internal note it was run by "a manager (2 years at the company)" — not explicitly confirmed to be Diego, though Diego organized/hosted the calendar invite for that meeting. Four SKUs were tasted — MATCHA M2 (1st Harvest, Kyoto), MATCHA A (1st Harvest, Kagoshima), MATCHA ASAGIRI (1st Harvest, Shizuoka), MATCHA SEITEN (1st/2nd Harvest, Shizuoka) — with no per-SKU feedback recorded.

We followed up twice on 2026-07-24: Kai thanked Diego for his time, re-listed the four tasted SKUs, and offered additional samples or another tasting across different price ranges; Nomi (Head of Tea, Japan side) introduced himself on the thread and offered support on pricing/logistics. A further follow-up was sent 2026-08-05, in which Kai noted that Diego had mentioned he might need to talk to his business partners, and offered more free samples to experiment with if needed. As of 2026-08-05, no sourcing decision has been received from Diego, and it is not confirmed whether formal pricing was ever sent to him.

Separately, La Estrella is reassessing its matcha sourcing because its current (undisclosed) supplier raised prices from $150/kg to $200/kg; current NY volume is ~60-63 kg/month across 3 cafes, with a stated plan to expand to 15 cafes globally next year. The current supplier's post-hike stock is expected to run out in ~2 months from the tasting (~2026-09-23 estimate), which remains the effective deadline to convert.

Key People

• Diego Ferrante — Managing Director, La Estrella · New York (title confirmed via email signature on 2026-07-14 and 2026-07-20 emails; phone (+1) 555 010 1234 confirmed via same) — sole known contact throughout; personally organized/hosted the 2026-07-23 tasting calendar invite; on/around 2026-08-05 indicated he needs to consult business partners before making a sourcing decision, suggesting he may not be the sole final decision-maker.

Customer Needs

• Primary use case: Matcha for cafe drinks across NY locations, with expansion to 15 cafes globally planned next year
• Expected volume: ~60-63 kg/month currently across 3 NY cafes (confirmed); much larger if global expansion materializes (estimate)
• Flavor preference: unknown — four SKUs tasted (ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN) but no feedback recorded
• Color preference: unknown
• Target price: not stated explicitly; sensitive to price given the trigger was a supplier hike from $150/kg to $200/kg
• Lead-time requirement: effective deadline ~2 months from 2026-07-23 tasting (~2026-09-23 estimate), when current supplier's stock runs out
• Packaging preference: unknown

Commercial Assessment

• Current stage: tasting — tasting completed, multiple follow-ups sent, decision now pending on Diego's internal consultation with business partners
• Interest level: high — repeatedly responsive across 3+ weeks, personally organized/hosted the tasting, engaged with every follow-up
• Urgency: high — current supplier's post-hike stock is estimated to run out ~2026-09-23 (~2 months from the tasting); nearly 2 weeks have passed since the tasting with no decision yet, and the manager's originally expected week-of-2026-07-27 follow-up has long since passed
• Primary blocker: as of 2026-08-05, Diego says he needs to consult business partners before deciding; separately, it is not confirmed whether pricing has actually been sent to him
• Buying readiness: warm — engaged, respondent, tasting completed, three follow-ups sent, decision now depends on an internal partner consultation outside our direct control
• Opportunity potential: significant — ~60-63 kg/month across 3 NY cafes currently, with a stated (unconfirmed) plan to expand to 15 cafes globally next year
• Main risk: the business-partner consultation could stall or reject given our pricing is largely non-negotiable; the ~2026-09-23 stock deadline may pass before Diego's partners align on a decision

Product Fit

• Preferred SKU: unknown — no tasting feedback recorded for ASAGIRI, A, M2, or SEITEN
• Recommended SKU: unknown — not yet determined
• Reason for recommendation: not yet applicable
• Alternatives: not yet applicable

Open Questions

• Which of the tasted SKUs (ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN) did La Estrella prefer?
• Has pricing actually been sent to Diego yet?
• Who are the "business partners" Diego needs to consult — co-owners, investors, other decision-makers at La Estrella?
• Is Diego the same person as the manager (2 years at the company) who ran the 2026-07-23 tasting, or a different person, even though Diego organized the calendar invite?
• Who is La Estrella's current supplier, and will La Estrella decide before its stock runs out (~2026-09-23 estimate)?

Current Recommendation

Confirm whether pricing has actually been sent to Diego; if not, send it now so his partners have what they need for their evaluation. Follow up again with Diego if no response is received in the next 1-2 weeks, referencing the approaching ~2026-09-23 stock deadline to create urgency, reiterating the standing offer of more free samples for the partner evaluation, and asking directly which of the four tasted SKUs (ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN) resonated most.

Evidence Used

• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-14-email-re-new-matcha-complementary-matcha-tasti.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-14-email-re-new-matcha-complementary-matcha-tasti-2.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-17-email-re-new-matcha-complementary-matcha-tasti.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-20-email-verdant-matcha-la-estrella-2026-7-23-2-2-30-gmt.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-20-email-re-new-matcha-complementary-matcha-tasti.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-20-email-re-new-matcha-complementary-matcha-tasti-2.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-20-email-re-new-matcha-complementary-matcha-tasti-3.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-23-tasting-session-completed.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-24-email-this-is-ryo-thanks-for-your-time-yesterd.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-07-24-email-re-this-is-ryo-thanks-for-your-time-yest.md
• Timeline event: timeline/2026-08-05-email-re-this-is-ryo-thanks-for-your-time-yest.md (newly synced)

Active Actions

action-001

• Action: Send pricing to Diego by email
• Type: quote
• Reason: Tasting session completed 2026-07-23; next step per plan is to send pricing so Diego and his business partners can make a decision. Still not confirmed as sent across three follow-ups (2026-07-24 x2, 2026-08-05).
• Trigger: Tasting session completed 2026-07-23; Diego indicated 2026-08-05 he needs to consult business partners, who will need pricing to evaluate
• Owner: unknown
• Priority: urgent
• Status: proposed
• Due date: as soon as possible
• Approval required: no
• Agent permission: recommend_only
• Required inputs: confirmation of whether pricing was already sent (not evidenced in source)
• Completion condition: Pricing sent to Diego by email
• Created from: timeline/2026-07-23-tasting-session-completed.md
• Result:

action-003

• Action: Follow up again with Diego for a decision update if no response is received in the next 1-2 weeks
• Type: follow_up
• Reason: Three follow-ups have already been sent (2026-07-24 x2, 2026-08-05) with no decision received; Diego indicated he needs to consult business partners, but the ~2026-09-23 stock deadline is approaching
• Trigger: No response received to the 2026-08-05 follow-up within 1-2 weeks
• Owner: unknown
• Priority: high
• Status: proposed
• Due date: ~mid-to-late August 2026 (estimate, if no response by then)
• Approval required: no
• Agent permission: recommend_only
• Required inputs: none
• Completion condition: Decision update (yes/no/timeline) received from Diego, or another follow-up sent referencing the stock deadline
• Created from: timeline/2026-08-05-email-re-this-is-ryo-thanks-for-your-time-yest.md
• Result:

Waiting on Customer

waiting-001

• Item needed: Sourcing decision from Diego, pending his internal consultation with business partners
• Requested on: 2026-07-23 (at conclusion of tasting session)
• Follow-up date: originally week of 2026-07-27 (passed); three follow-ups sent since (2026-07-24 x2, 2026-08-05), still no decision as of 2026-08-05
• Related action: action-003
• Note: Diego has been offered additional free samples if useful for the partner evaluation (offered 2026-08-05, not yet requested by Diego)

Scheduled Follow-ups

followup-001

• Trigger date: ~2026-09-23 (estimate — ~2 months from the 2026-07-23 tasting, when current supplier's stock is expected to run out)
• Condition: If no decision has been received by then
• Action: Urgent final follow-up before La Estrella's decision window closes
• Owner: unknown

Completed Actions

action-002 (completed)

• Action: Follow up with Diego for a sourcing decision update
• Type: follow_up
• Reason: Manager was expected to follow up during the week of 2026-07-27 with a decision update; that week passed with no recorded response
• Trigger: Tasting session completed 2026-07-23; expected follow-up window (week of 2026-07-27) elapsed
• Owner: unknown
• Priority: urgent
• Status: completed
• Completion condition: Follow-up sent to Diego
• Created from: timeline/2026-07-23-tasting-session-completed.md
• Result: Follow-ups sent 2026-07-24 (Kai thanking Diego and re-listing tasted SKUs; Nomi introducing himself and offering support) and 2026-08-05 (Kai noting Diego's mention of needing to consult business partners, offering more free samples). No decision received yet as of 2026-08-05 — see waiting-001 and action-003 for the continued wait.

Summary

Context drop (typed note) recapping the full La Estrella engagement to date: our rep visited a La Estrella cafe on 2026-07-16 and obtained Diego's email; an introduction was sent and Diego responded the same day; a follow-up was sent 2026-07-17; a tasting session was confirmed for 2026-07-20 and completed on-site 2026-07-23. A manager (2 years at the company) ran the tasting and sampled four SKUs (ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN); no per-SKU feedback was recorded. The note also captures La Estrella's reassessment of its current (undisclosed) supplier after a price hike, its NY volume, expansion plans, and next steps.

Extracted Facts

• Fact: Tasting session completed on-site

  • Value: Completed 2026-07-23; run by a manager (2 years at the company); SKUs tasted: ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN; also see [[../Tasting_Sessions/10_La_Estrella]] referenced in source
  • Scope: opportunity
  • Status: confirmed
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

• Fact: Status — tasting completed, awaiting decision

  • Value: "Tasting completed" (warm, awaiting decision); Diego is a respondent, associated with higher conversion likelihood per note
  • Scope: opportunity
  • Status: confirmed
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

• Fact: Reason for reassessing supplier

  • Value: Current supplier (not named) raised price from $150/kg to $200/kg
  • Scope: company
  • Status: confirmed
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

• Fact: Current NY volume and expansion plan

  • Value: ~60-63 kg/month across 3 cafes in NY currently; plan to expand to 15 cafes globally next year
  • Scope: company
  • Status: confirmed (current volume); estimate/plan (future 15-cafe expansion, not yet realized)
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

• Fact: Pricing flexibility

  • Value: Our pricing is not negotiable, except shipping, where some discount room exists
  • Scope: opportunity
  • Status: confirmed
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

• Fact: Effective decision deadline

  • Value: Current supplier's post-hike stock is expected to run out in ~2 months from the tasting (~2026-09-23, estimate)
  • Scope: opportunity
  • Status: estimate
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

• Fact: Next steps agreed

  • Value: Send pricing by email; manager to follow up during the week of 2026-07-27 with a decision update
  • Scope: opportunity
  • Status: confirmed (as a plan; not confirmed whether pricing has actually been sent or whether the manager followed up, since the note's activity log ends 2026-07-24)
  • Source: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md

Customer Commitments

• Manager to follow up during the week of 2026-07-27 with a sourcing decision update.

Our Commitments

• Send pricing to Diego/the manager by email.

Questions Raised

• Which of the four tasted SKUs (ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN) does La Estrella prefer?
• Who is La Estrella's current supplier?
• Is Diego the same person as the manager who ran the 2026-07-23 tasting?

Products Discussed

• SKU: ASAGIRI
  • Use case: cafe tasting
  • Feedback: not recorded
• SKU: A
  • Use case: cafe tasting
  • Feedback: not recorded
• SKU: M2
  • Use case: cafe tasting
  • Feedback: not recorded
• SKU: SEITEN
  • Use case: cafe tasting
  • Feedback: not recorded

Original Evidence

• Source channel: note (typed directly into the chat feed)
• Source reference: _inbox/2026_08_04_text_note-16.md (Job: bb1751cf25de); note itself cites Raw/2026_07_20_la-estrella_tasting_confirmed.md and Raw/2026_07_24_text_note_2.md as its own sources, not independently available in this CRM
• Relevant excerpt or transcript timestamp: "2026-07-23: Tasting session completed on site (manager, 2 years at the company, ran the meeting; tasted ASAGIRI, A, M2, SEITEN)"; "Reassessing supplier because current supplier raised prices ($150/kg → $200/kg)"; "NY volume: ~60-63 kg/month across 3 cafes; expanding to 15 cafes globally next year"