Visiting the Doka coffee plantation today was my first taste of the Costa Rican coffee business. Before visiting, I only knew the basics of coffee production so there were plenty of details throughout the process that surprised me. I was mainly surprised at the level of care and planning that goes into producing coffe beans. Although the season for the coffee cherries is from October through January, there is still a lot of effort and work that needs to be done during the rest of the year. In order to achieve a profitable harvest, the soil needs to be fertilized, and the trees need to be sprayed with pesticides. Because there is no automated way to do this, it all has to be done manually.
It was most surprising to learn that over 80% of about 150 workers come in from Nicaragua and they’re provided with free housing, electricity, water, and even child care. These workers travel down from Nicaragua, make about $13 per day and bring the money back home after the season is over. Because Colónes are worth more than Nicaraquan córdobas, they can provide for their families and return the next season. I’m not sure about anyone else, but I certaintly learned something about family values from this.
As for the technology that the coffee plantation used, They used more or less the same machines and methods of processing as they did in the early 1800s. I was impressed at how accurate the old machinery was. The first step in processing the cherries used a physics principle involving the change in pressure to suck the good cherries through a pipe. I was quite proud of myself for noticing this, but it made me think about how precise the machines have to be. I sat down to think about the 7 different machines used to separate the cherry shell from the bean. Studying this complex system is a great way to understand the engineering aspect of coffee production. Someone had to brainstorm, prototype, and test previous iterations of these machines in order to eventually have a nearly seamless system.
After looking at the machinery, we eventually tasted the coffee that Doka produced, and I would have to say that it exceeds my expectations. I wasn’t very fond of coffee before this trip, but the coffee I tasted at the end of the tour was exquisite. I give the whole experience a 10/10.