The day started off with a tour and chocolate tasting at Sibo Chocolates. Our tour began with some complimentary hot chocolate and then we were introduced to the owner Julio Fernandez. Mr. Fernandez was very entertaining as he told us about the story of chocolate. Originally chocolate was used by the Native Americans in Central America as a drink that was made with water, chile peppers, cocoa, turmeric, and ground corn. This drink was used for medicinal use by both the Native Americans and then the Spaniards later on. As time went on people then created the first chocolate bars for mass consumption and the first milk chocolate bars in the 1900’s in Switzerland. While we were learning this information were also able to taste 7 pieces of chocolate. I personally thought the milk, dark, and caramel-filled chocolate tasted the best.

Once we finished the tour we took a short bus ride to Riverside Cafe for lunch. The owner took us on a tour of the restaurant and talked about how the restaurant had burned down and how the original structure was used to help rebuild the restaurant. This prevented the owner from wasting materials. Then the owner took us outside and walked us around his gardens. In these gardens, he grows most of his produce for the meals. He had tomatoes, lettuce, oranges, asparagus, and much more. He also showed us a workplace on the property where they built most of the furniture in the restaurant. As we were going back in to eat, we saw a new project where he was working on an outdoor space with gardens for customers to sit. Overall it was a very cool experience and I was amazed at how well he recycled and reused materials.

The relationship between coffee and chocolate in Costa Rica is rooted in the similar practices of farming. Both types of plants are sustainably farmed and both are produced in quality rather than quantity. Since the chocolate is of high quality some of the main risks to this supply are improper storage which could cause the chocolate to melt, and the retail stores that will not buy chocolate for more expensive prices. Companies like Britt, Sibo, and Riverside have a few things in common. One of these things is their pricing because they produce quality goods and they are able to charge more for them. They also all try to be sustainable in their farming practices to protect the environment and they try to compost or reuse waste materials.