Today our third day on the trip we finally got to experience one of the main attractions of Costa Rica, coffee! Coffee being the main motivator not for me but my parents for the trip. They were very eager on sending me to Costa Rica, using me as their mule to buy fresh Costa Rican coffee. In the early morning of the day we traveled to a Doka coffee plantation where we were given a tour on the entire coffee process, a fruit to a cappuccino. The main three requirements for a coffee farm are land, people and beans and there is a lot of logistics and coordination to ensure optimal production. The farm itself relies on many factors, including soil quality, weather, altitude, and plant health. The unpredictable nature of some of these aspects lead to large fluctuations in coffee prices. What surprised me with the coffee process was how ingrained sustainable practices are in the coffee process. Nothing goes to waste. They reuse the fruit skin, the shells, and the water. The technology being implemented, was a blend of traditional labor and more modern reliance of technology. What interesting me the most is current research being done on hybrid coffee species. The project is looking for ways to decrease reliance on uncontrollable factors such as weather and plant health. Creating a resilient coffee plant able to withstand none favorable conditions and still produce quality product. The signature feature of costa rican coffee.

The second half of our day was devoted to strawberries. Through a rainstorm we travel to a local strawberry plantation. Unlike the coffee plantation it felt much more controlled and reliable. The plantation was all covered allowing for climate regulation. The plants were much more organized and easier to handle. The optimal climate for the strawberries was 11% moisture, rich soil, and a lot of sunlight. The only prominent challenge the farm seemed to face was insects and disease. The controlled nature of the industry was what surprised me the most. The farm was very compact and orderly. Unlike the coffee plantation the strawberry farm was much more manual with little technology. This results mostly because strawberries don’t have to be processed like coffee. As both fruits being very fragile they are both hand picked.

The manger of the coffee plantation mentioned developments being researched currently, relevant to both coffee and strawberries. Areas where development is occurring is in weather prediction technology, and genetic coding/breeding. A lot of the current focuses and business strategies are being shifting because of climate change. The need for more adaptive plants and equipment is becoming ever more a concern.