Before I got to Costa Rica, I never drank coffee and it only represented something that was for a caffeine rush. Yet, two weeks later, I have visited 6 different coffee companies and seen how their production chains work and tasted many of their different blends of coffee. I have learned about the entire story…

In the valley of Santa Maria de Dota, rests Coopedota, a coffee cooperative that consists of 900 farms in the Terrazu area. We visited the headquarters of the cooperative that consisted of a large and a small milling plant, a roastery, packaging area, offices for the directors, a small coffee field, and a barista school….

Coffee became a huge crop for Costa Ricans in the mid 1800’s with the rise of Juan Mora. Juan Mora started a land reform where if you go out and claim land as yours in an unoccupied area, the government will give it to you to grow coffee on. This led to a huge growth…

Today we got the amazing opportunity to visit Life Monteverde, a farm in Monteverde that grows coffee as well as promotes sustainability. We were given a tour by the daughter of one of the 12 primary owners, and she showed us their vegetable gardens, barn, forest, and coffee fields. Life Monteverde has a unique system…

Today we had a presentation by an unlikely speaker, Marvin, a Quaker from southern Alabama. Marvin travelled down to Costa Rica in 1949-50and ended up buying a farm in Monte Verde, along with his family and 10 others, totaling 44 people. He ended up marrying a local here, and they have a happy family with…

  On the drive from Heredia to Monte Verde today, we went through many different communities. There was the urban center of San Jose/Heredia, tourist area of the Pacific coast, and the rural agricultural area of Monte Verde. Since arriving here on Saturday night, my idea of Costa Rica has changed significantly. I originally thought…

Technology is a rapidly growing field especially in the areas of automation, drones, and 3D printing. Recently, companies such as Amazon have begun to test delivery systems using drones, removing the need for humans in the delivery of a product. Additionally, smaller companies now can have the additional production capabilities that automation and 3D printing…

Today we visited Doka Estates and Café Britt, two large Costa Rican coffee producers, and went on tours as well as listened to business presentations followed by Q&A sessions at each of the locations. Café Britt stood apart from Doka because of its corporation business model compared to Doka’s family owned model. They also differentiate…

Today we listened to Don Joaquin Lizano, a professor at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, give a talk about the history of Costa Rica and their culture. It was enthralling to hear about the ins and outs of Costa Rican politics and international relations from Don Lizano because he was taught history from a non-American…

Coming to Costa Rica, and being told that we would be staying in a small town outside the capital of San Jose, I wasn’t expecting the level of development that is here in Heredia. I thought that the main city would be a couple blocks long and wide and almost feel more like shopping center…

  Sustainability is a growing concern internationally, with rising awareness about renewable energy, recycling programs, and sustainable food practices. Costa Rica is the leading force for sustainability in Latin America having been ranked 21st in the world in overall sustainability as well as 2nd in the world in purely environmental sustainability according to the World…