Today our journey to Monteverde came to a close, however, before going back to Heredia, we stopped by Life Monteverde. Here, we painted a fence with kids at a local school. This was truly a lovely experience and a memory I will never forget. All of the students were extremely kind, and painting the fence was a lot of fun too!

Painting the fence helped me see the true sense of community in Monteverde. It was truly fulfilling to be able to help. After painting, we went to Café Monteverde and had a coffee tour! We learned a little bit about some of the farmers and their life stories. The job of these Tico farmers could be difficult.

In Costa Rica, coffee cherries are hand picked, which could be challenging work due to the hot weather conditions. Additionally, these workers get paid about $2 for every 25 pounds of coffee cherries they pick, which doesn’t appear to be a large amount of money. Coffee in Costa Rica is produced with quality in mind, hence why the making process requires difficult work. Many workers come from Nicaragua to work on the coffee farms.

It was also interesting to learn about some of the sustainability that takes place on the farm. They don’t let anything go to waste. For example, they give some of the crops to the goats. Additionally, Café Monteverde makes their own fertilizer. It’s amazing to see all of the efforts that places across Costa Rica take to reduce waste and be sustainable.

If I were a Tico child, I would want to continue to find environmentally friendly ways to move the farm forward. I think Café Monteverde can be an example for others to follow, as they’re working to be a fully organic farm. As a Tico child, I think working toward something so positive would be extremely rewarding. We ended the day with some coffee tasting at Café Monteverde!

Can’t wait to keep exploring!