Today honestly ended up being one of the most interesting days of the trip because even though all three visits seemed completely different at first, they were all connected by the idea of businesses focusing on more than just profit. At Sibö Chocolate, what stood out to me most was how intentional everything felt. Even the name “Sibö” comes from the indigenous god of creation because they wanted the business to feel connected to Costa Rican culture and history. I also thought it was really interesting learning about cacao because before today I had no idea what it actually tasted like naturally. The fruit itself was surprisingly sweet, almost watermelon-like, while the seed was extremely bitter before going through the fermenting, drying, and roasting process. One thing that especially stuck with me was hearing how they wanted to keep more of the value of cacao production within Costa Rica instead of just exporting raw materials somewhere else. Even small things, like using cacao shells in packaging and focusing on conservation, made the company feel genuinely committed to sustainability instead of just using it as a marketing tactic.

I noticed the same kind of intentionality at the farm-to-table restaurant, just in a different way. Behind the restaurant they had organic gardens where they grow ingredients used in the meals, and then all of the organic waste gets turned into compost and fertilizer to grow more vegetables again. I thought the whole “farm to table, then table back to farm” idea was honestly one of the coolest examples of sustainability we have seen so far because it showed how businesses can create systems that are almost fully circular. They also supported local artists and jazz musicians, and I liked that the money from the artwork went directly back to the artists. Even during the medical device lecture, I noticed a similar theme but on a much larger scale. Costa Rica attracted major medical device companies because of investment in education and skilled workers rather than cheap labor, which showed how much the country values long-term development. Overall, today made the triple bottom line feel a lot more real to me because all three places showed that businesses can still be successful while also prioritizing community and sustainability.