I thought the coffee process today was very interesting. It was far more in-depth than I expected. I also was surprised about just how low the pay was for the workers. Most of the workers are seasonal labor migrants from Nicaragua. They make an equivalent of 2-5 dollars per basket of red coffee beans they pick depending on the time of year and how many beans are available. Workers generally can pick 5-8 baskets per day, so they sometimes may barely receive enough money to feed themselves. On top of this, many workers bring their families, and, while housing is provided, I doubt these wages are enough to support them. The children receive childcare, but not education.

I was also surprised by the technology used for the process. It seems there was a lot of thought put into the design of each machine and step in the sequence in order to ensure the highest possible coffee quality. In order to possibly increase efficiency as far as the resources used, I may suggest using a smaller tank for the water sorting process. More beans could be possibly processed with less water, saving both money and resources. The drying process could also become fully automated. It currently requires manual turning with a rake-like tool relatively often. If this process was fully mechanized, it could reduce some dependency on labor and ensure consistent drying quality, as human error would be eliminated.

Finally, I am not much of a coffee drinker, but I think Costa Rican coffee depends on the variety. I really disliked some of the darker roasts, but the majority of the kinds they had available were delicious. The focus on quality is an admirable business model, and I believe the majority of the coffee here reflects this value. Costa Rican famers know they cannot compete with Brazil in terms of quantity due to their inherent territorial disadvantage, but they can still thrive in global coffee markets by providing a product marketed as superior and more expensive.