Today, through the Doka Estate Coffee Tour, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of global supply chains. I learned about all of the steps that it takes for the coffee bean plants to gain market value in transforming into the highly demanded good that is a cup of coffee. 

Prior to today’s tour, while I knew how to make coffee from packaged grounds, I had very little knowledge of what actually went into growing, picking, and packaging the beans that created those grounds. I found it very interesting to learn about the bean-picking process that is done on the plantation. I learned that for four months of the year, workers are brought onto the plantation to pick the coffee beans. I was impressed to learn that they are provided with free housing as well as free daycare for their children during work hours. I was also impressed by the incentive system regarding how the workers are paid; I think that paying workers based on the quality of their work as opposed to hourly or annually is a great way to ensure that consumers will get the highest quality coffee. 

One thing that did surprise me, though, was the lack of technology used during the coffee-picking process. I was surprised to learn that the workers have to carry the baskets of coffee beans around their waists throughout the day; this seems like it would make the job more difficult to do, as it does appear to be physically straining. This leads me to wonder if there is some particular reason that this is done as opposed to some technology or tool being used to help carry the beans throughout the day instead. 

Overall, I think that Costa Rican coffee is for sure all that it is hyped up to be. Not only was I able to taste it for myself on the tour today, but I was also able to learn about all of the dedication that goes into each individual step of the coffee making process. From seeing the coffee receiving station, to the coffee peeling station, to the coffee drying station, to the coffee storage station, I was able to get a feel for the intricate nature of Doka’s–as well as Costa Rica’s as a whole–coffee making process.