Today we started the day with chocolate tasting at Sibö while learning about the history of chocolate. It was super interesting to learn about how chocolate has turned into the popular treat it is today! After chocolate tasting, we headed to Riverside for a lunch and learned about the farming done there!

One of the things we learned was that Natives of Central America were the ones who found out how to get from cacao beans to chocolate. Another thing we learned was that in World War I, France had their soldiers start drinking chocolate. I thought it was really interesting that chocolate was used for soldiers in war.

There is a relationship between chocolate and coffee here on Costa Rica, and companies like Riverside, Café Britt, and Sibö have the same relationship. All of these products and brands focus on quality over quantity. We have learned from both coffee tours and the chocolate tour that Costa Rica can’t always compete when it comes to quantity, leaving them to compete in the market with the quality of products they produce. Riverside focuses on the same idea. The food is grown right outside the restaurant. After tasting the food, I can definitely say it was quality!

It’s interesting to observe the supply chain of the chocolate industry. Due to climate change, the chocolate supply chain faces disruption. Cocoa grows in specific climates, but if these climates change, the entire supply chain will be altered because the supply chain can’t exist without the product itself. It is for these reasons that Costa Rica focuses so much on sustainability and keeping the environment safe.