Today was our last day adventuring in Costa Rica, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be on this trip. We visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where we saw lots of different animals and about 4 different waterfalls. My favorite exhibit was probably either the butterfly garden, because I liked the butterflies landing on me, or the panthers. Some of us then ended the day by going to the final soccer game of the season, which was between Heredia and Alequela. This was such a fun experience. The energy that the stadium brought was so cool, and a tad nerve-racking at times. This was definitely one of my favorite days here!
After spending two weeks in this amazing place, I gained a new appreciation for how sourcing begins at the root, literally. I saw firsthand how coffee, chocolate, and fruits like bananas, pineapples, and strawberries are grown. Each one of these crops requires its own careful balance of climate, soil, and human labor, and even the tiniest alteration can make or break the final product. It really shocked me how much effort the farmers put into ensuring their practices are sustainable. I’ve learned that every choice, especially at the farm level, can impact not only the environment but also the ethical quality of the product. I now feel more connected to the people and places behind the foods I used to buy without a second thought
At the processing stage, sourcing becomes even more layered. I learned how processing mills sort, ferment, and dry coffee beans, and how cooperative models give farmers more bargaining power. For bananas and pineapples, export companies play a huge role in setting standards and determining which farms stay in business. At this stage, value can either be added or lost depending on how the raw product is handled. Knowing where and how something is processed can affect quality, pricing, and transparency. This made me more conscious of asking questions about where my food comes from and supporting businesses that prioritize ethical and transparent sourcing. It made me want to seek out brands that source responsibly and give credit back to these often overlooked middle steps.
Moving to the coffee roasters and retail store aspect of this chain, this step is where sourcing becomes visible to most consumers, but I now understand how much of the story can actually be left out. Roasters and retailers have the power to highlight the origin of their products or hide it. I appreciated how the cafes that we visited showcased their coffee and explained where their chocolate or fruit came from, because I could connect those details back to what I saw in Costa Rica. But I also saw how branding can oversimplify or greenwash sourcing practices. This made me more conscious of asking questions about where my food comes from and supporting businesses that prioritize ethical and transparent sourcing.
As a customer, I now see myself as the final link in a much bigger chain. The choices I make, like buying fair trade chocolate, locally roasted coffee, or sustainably sourced pineapple, either support or undermine the values I saw in action during this trip. Sourcing used to feel abstract, but now it feels personal. I’ve met the people behind the products and seen the environmental impacts up close, like the biodiversity.
