It is crazy to think that our two weeks is almost up here. I feel like it flew by, yet we have been in Costa Rica forever! We ended the trip in the best way possible: exploring beautiful waterfalls and seeing all the animals in Costa Rica that we wanted. Today, after La Paz Falls, we finished up our project, and played some more soccer.

My group (team photo inserted below) is focusing on “Make” as its topic when it comes to looking at supply chains. After visiting all the plantations that we did, I can confidently summarize what I have learned in each of the steps of production.

Farm: I used to just eat pineapple, or bananas, or even chocolate and think nothing of it. But after seeing how much work goes into actually planting, maintaining and taking care of the crop, and then harvesting it, I have gained more respect for the people involved, and have learned to enjoy the food more myself. These crops are handpicked, and have to be taken really good care of in order to get the best product for us consumers. Farmers dedicate their lives to these crops, instead of going to school and getting other jobs. Most of the time, these small companies don’t even make a huge profit, and working in the fields all day is not something everyone can do. I give them a lot of credit.

Processing mills and exporters: This is a big part of “making” the product too, not just farming. For instance, after coffee goes through all the milling, they have tasters that taste every single cup to make sure that it is good enough quality for shipment. When exporting the product, you have to be very careful to not ruin it, like pineapples. They could only be held by the stem because if too many people touch it, it will dent and not be consumable. All of these little things must be considered when making a product that needs to be accepted by consumers.

Coffee roasters and retail stores/cafes: When it comes down to the individual companies, it is important to make their product unique to them, which in turn attracts customers. Sibö, for instance, had a story and a mission. They teach their buyers about the history of chocolate and make it known their goals of sustainable development. I think that makes people want to buy a product more: knowing exactly how it is made and what goes into it. That is why I think having these tours is so important to the small companies. It tales them away from the bigger competition, allows buyers to get a glimpse of the making process, and brings in extra money.

Consumers: Lastly, I could arguably say that the consumers are the most important part in this supply chain. if they don’t like the product, everyone is screwed. That is why the way that coffee, chocolate, pineapple, or bananas are made is so important. We (or most of us) care about what goes into our foods. The conditions these workers are in. The chemicals that are used. I personally try to get my produce from organic brands, because it is just better for you. After seeing how hard it truly is to be an organic and sustainable farm, I look at these products differently. I will try to remember just how much work is put in to get a banana on the shelf of my local supermarket.