As the trip comes to a close, I want to reflect on the growth of my understanding related to the making process of the crops we have explored. Firstly, in the farming process, the growing of the fruits and plants is where it all starts. From carefully married coffee trees to mass-planted pineapple crowns, every fruit differs immensely. Each crop prefers its specific conditions and growth processes, with coffee preferring high-elevation, bananas needing lots of rain, pineapple preferring sun, cacao needing lots of shade, and strawberries enjoying a moist environment. All of the crops also have different harvesting times and techniques. Some crops, like coffee, need to be revisited many times during the harvesting season, whereas pineapple produces only one fruit per harvest.

The processes continue to differ when the crops reach the processing mills and are exported. Coffee and cacao both need to be dried in very particular ways to create the intended flavor profile, while other fruits like pineapple, bananas, and strawberries just need to be inspected, packaged, and shipped off for consumption. However, the inspection process is not simple, as the farms must be audited and their operations evaluated to get the subsidies and certifications needed for successful products. The manufacturing of the packaging can be very complex. For example, Café Britt realized that a one-way valve is needed to let out any gases in the coffee bags to not compromise flavor and aroma. Furthermore, the shelf lives of each product deciphered how quickly and costly the delivery of the goods must be.

Coffee also needs to be roasted uniquely, like a work of art. The decision regarding what temperature and the time the beans are roasted has a huge impact on the final flavor. Chocolate makers like Sibö also have to make judgements on what ingredients they include in their chocolates and to make their raw cacao into a gourmet experience for the palate.

Finally, each plantation and location had to create an experience for the customers. Every visit was very informative and always tried to make a lasting impression, especially regarding sustainability. Every tour let the customers or visitors try their product to verify their specialization, and then advised how to be more sustainable in a tropical agriculture context and what to look out for in our own lives.