For the farming process of all the plantations we visited, I was surprised to learn that almost everywhere sourced their own materials for growing. For example, many plantations created their own fertilizers, pesticides, and compost out of natural materials from their grown plant scraps or animal waste. They also grew certain plants to source nitrogen into the soil for their crops to be healthy and strong. Additionally, it was common for harvesters to be sourced were Nicaraguan. Due to the bad economic conditions in Nicaragua, Costa Rica is able to pay these laborers less than they usually would and still provide a stable life for them.

For the processing mills and exporters, we learned that most machinery for the coffee farms were sourced from European countries. However, they also use natural sources such as the sun to dry to coffee. Additionally, lots of energy involved in the processing is sourced from renewable sources such as hydroelectric power, wind energy, and solar power. For exportation, for coffee specifically, plastic is commonly used to package and keep the bean fresh. Even though this isn’t the most sustainable, it is the best way to export the materials.

For the coffee roasters and retail stores/cafes, Café Britt, which is primarily a coffee roasting company, sources their beans and coffee berries from Café Doka who they also own. They also mentioned how they source beans from 800 different farms around Costa Rica which all provide a unique taste and aroma to coffee. Additionally, some of the places we visited are the source more locally to nearby Costa Rica areas. On the other hand, other bigger companies in Costa Rica are the source to other companies around the world.

For the customers, they are sourced from all over the world. Many of these companies have online stores that will ship directly to individuals at almost any location. Also, many customers drinking the coffee or eating the fruits/chocolate from Costa Rica might not realize it is from Costa Rica. Due to the many countries mentioned before, Costa Rica has made its impact across the world.