Throughout our two weeks in Costa Rica I have learned a plethora of information regarding the coffee supply chain. But while on most of our trips I paid special attention the management of each of the parts of the supply chain since management was my groups focus. While at coffee farms, the first step in…
Tag: Ethan Miller
The Coopedota Cooperative and its Impact on the Community
Compared to a traditional company cooperatives can offer many advantages as well disadvantages to those involved. Cooperatives allow small coffee farms to pool their resources and information together to increase their power in the coffee market. An advantage a cooperative has over a traditional company is that small coffee farms have more stability since they…
Impact of ICAFE on Large and Small Coffee Producers
ICAFE is a privately funded lab that focuses on research and development in the coffee sector. ICAFE conducts research in all areas of coffee production from evaluating soil and farm lands to researching pesticides and fungicides to prevent coffee from diseases. Some of the technology that ICAFE is currently developing are spectrometry machines that can…
The Impact of Tourism and Foreign Influence on Monteverde
Initially I think that the efforts of the Quakers that arrived in Monteverde negatively impacted Monteverde. When the Quakers arrived from Alabama in 1951 they immediately began to build and develop. Don Ricardo mentioned that his father was the first person to introduce the chainsaw to the area. With their modern tools and technology, the…
Sustainable Living at Life Monteverde
It is clear to see that the life of a Tico farmer is very ingrained in nature. In Don Guillermo’s lecture he repeatedly mentioned that humans should coexist with the earth and leave as little of a footprint as possible. His lifestyle, and the lifestyle of other Tico farmers, follow this mentality of preservation and…
On The Way To Monteverde
While driving from Heredia to Monteverde it would be difficult to miss the lush mountain scenery. Driving though the varied mountain landscapes it was interesting to see the different kinds of vegetation, rocks and land formations. When we were closer to Heredia I noticed that the soil was orange and lose but as we got…
Investigating San Jose’s Unique Layout and Culture
Influences from Costa Rica’s rich history are very evident in the layout of San Jose. For example, something that stood out to me was how houses and roads were built around the train tracks. Riding the train into San Jose I noticed that the train passed through highly populated areas and it crossed over many…
Café Britt: More Than Just Coffee
Initially I found it surprising that tourists would love a gourmet coffee brand that local Ticos don’t approve of, but after a few minutes into the lecture at Café Britt I realized why. Café Britt is heavily marketed towards tourists and one of the company’s main priorities is exporting coffee. When Café Britt first started…
Questions Concerning Costa Rican Government and Economy
Early on in Dr. José Sánchez’s lecture he mentioned a governmental policy that seemed fairly vague. He began by explaining how the government is right centered, meaning that the country strays towards right sided politics without becoming too extreme. Dr. Sánchez stated that the Costa Rican government maintains its central right status by allowing private…
First Day in Heredia
My homestay roommate and I eagerly awaited to hear our names called while waiting on the charter bus. As soon as they were called we both rushed down the isle and off the bus to meet Mama Tica, the matriarch of our Costa Rican homestay family. We quickly learned that Mama Tica did not speak…
Environmental Sustainability in Costa Rica
It is surprising to me to find out that Costa Rica is one of the worlds 10 most environmentally sustainable countries. It surprises me because many of Costa Rica’s exports are natural such as coffee or fruit so I expected that deforestation to create farms or plantations could be an issue. Also Costa Rica is…