This is my final blog. Today was my second to last day in Costa Rica. This trip has given me so many experiences I know I will cherish forever, and it has undoubtedly influenced my future life decisions. Throughout this experience I have gained an understanding of the many agricultural trades of Costa Rica and the problems they face. Through the lens of design and launch, or marketing, every step of the supply chain sheds new light.

1. Farm: The farm is where it all starts. The success or demise of a company begins with how they cultivate and harvest the land, as well as the impact they choose to make while doing so. The options are to leave a legacy of growth, productivity, sustainability, and community, or on the other hand, plundering, diminishing, and degradation. Many farms have no need to use the topic I have studied on this trip, but for many small or organic farms, design and launch can be vital. This is through the tourism industry. A coffee, banana, or pineapple plantation can easily alter the success of their crop depending on the quality of how they market their tour. Giving tourists access to the science and information, and telling a complicated story of protecting the Earth while cultivating the land can be a very powerful tool to pull consumers to your side.
2. Processing mills and exporters: we com to the next vital stage of the supply chain. Similarly to the previous step, this process can be a powerful marketing strategy to familiarize customers with the production of their favorite products. Once people know, through thorough and enlightening tours, the behind-the-scenes to what they love to consume, they feel knowledgeable and more inclined to buy the product. Especially if the producer is focused on quality, such as the Doka coffee plantation and processer, people who look for quality will be more inclined to look for their product. For some products such as pineapple, banana, and heart of palm, this is the final step before exportation to whoever will be purchasing the product.
3. Roasters, cafes/stores: The way the product is marketed in this stage of the supply chain is the most important. It is at these locations a consumer will decide whether or not they will buy the product. We have learned that being strategic in the placement of the product is first and foremost pivotal to the success of the sale. One such company who does this is Café Britt and their ties with many hotels and airports. Seeing as how their target audience is the tourist, where better to market their products than where millions of tourists pass through. Branding, placement, and advertising are vital in this stage to hook as many consumers as possible, and to appeal to wide audiences.
4. Customer: The previous stages, especially the last one, determine the choice of the customer. It has been interesting to watch what many of the companies have had to do to appeal to new consumers. One thing in particular is to support and strive towards sustainability and community outreach. There is a trend of being a conscientious consumer today that directs those with the means to purchase those with quality product as well as those with quality values.

More than the principles of marketing and the supply chain I have learned so much more on this trip. It has been fascinating to watch a culture formed and driven around the principles of protecting the natural beauty we have access to all around. Sustainability is vital as it pertains to maintaining the longevity of the environment, our communities, and ourselves.

From the quality of the food people ingest to the indescribable beauty to the emphasis on community, family, and friends, Costa Rica has captured my heart. Today felt like a fantastic way to end the trip going to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. We saw so much wildlife and gorgeous scenery. If today, and this trip in general, has done anything it is affirm my desire to focus my career on the environment. If I am behind a desk rather than in the heart of the outdoors for my job, fire me because I don’t want it. Please enjoy these pictures of some of the things we saw today.

Costa Rica, it has been splendid. Farewell, I hope this is not goodbye but just see you later!