Today’s visit to Café Monteverde made renewable energy feel less like a random idea and more like something that affects real businesses. Coffee production depends on a lot of resources: land, water, transportation, roasting equipment, and electricity. Today I was on group one and we learned about their roasting process. They use a greenhouse to combat the incosistent sunlight, and airflow to maintain even heating processes. For a company connected to agriculture and tourism, that matters because customers are not just buying coffee. They are also buying into the story behind how the coffee is grown, processed, and sold.

The biggest pro of renewable energy is that it helps protect the environment that businesses like Café Monteverde depend on. Coffee farming needs healthy soil, stable weather, and clean water, so reducing pollution and fossil fuel use supports the long-term future of the industry. Renewable energy can also make Costa Rican coffee more attractive to tourists and international buyers who care about sustainability. From what I saw, a large component of their marketing strategy seemed to be enforcing the idea that as humans we deserve the best quality, and you can find that quality here. At the same time, there are cons. Renewable energy systems can be expensive to install, especially for smaller farms or cooperatives. Some sources also depend on nature. For example, hydropower depends on rainfall, which can be risky during dry periods. Solar and wind can also be inconsistent. Overall, I think renewable energy is still a strong path for Costa Rica, but today showed me that it only works if businesses can afford it, maintain it, and connect it to the real needs of farmers, workers, and the land.