Over the past two weeks in Costa Rica I have learned and experienced so much about business, culture, and environment and how they impact the production of coffee and bananas. Both foods have very complex and interesting processes and I had an amazing time going to all the sites to see how they work and…

With only three more days in Costa Rica we went to our last company tour, but instead of coffee, we ventured into the world of Dole bananas. The banana industry is extremely big and vastly interesting considering bananas are the fourth most consumed food in the world. Today we learned about how bananas are grown,…

Today we went on our last two coffee tours at Café 1820, a local coffee production company, and ICAFE, the regulators and researchers of coffee. Both tours were very interesting, but being the Chemical Engineer that I am, I loved learning about all the science related research occurring in the Costa Rican coffee industry. Throughout…

Today was our last day in Monteverde in which we traveled to the Cloud Forest. In these past two days we were able to experience so much whether it be food, views, or community service. Monteverde is truly amazing, but it would not be this way if not for the Quakers and Ticos that inhabit…

Today we traveled to the Café Monteverde farm where we learned more about the sustainability and management of plants and coffee, ate a delicious meal, and tried even more coffee!!! During the tour we learned all about the interesting lifestyle of a Tico farmer and what responsibilities and challenging jobs they have to do in…

Today we traveled along the Pacific coast and up the mountains to Monteverde in the Mountain Rainforest of Costa Rica. The drive was long and had a lot of twists and turns, but it was completely worth it because the view is amazing. Along the way to Monteverde we passed through multiple Costa Rican towns…

For our forth day in Costa Rica we traveled to San Jose for a tour of the capital. While there, we learned about the vast history of how San Jose and viewed multiple important monuments and sculptures. One of the many interesting facts we learned was how coffee and bananas had a huge impact in…

Today, for our third day in Costa Rica, we traveled to Alajuela and back for our first two coffee tours at Doka and Café Britt. During both tours we learned how coffee is grown, roasted, and prepared for shipping as well as how the quality of coffee can be maintained. Doka, a company at the…

Today was my first tour of Costa Rica in which I traveled to the center of Heredia and visited many popular and important landmarks and locations. Before arriving to Costa Rica, I anticipated my experiences to be a combination of my previous trips to Miami and Italy and upon arriving, I knew that I was…

¡Hola! My name is James Sisti and this week I will be going to Costa Rica as part of the Plus3 program at the University of Pittsburgh. As a prospective Chemical Engineer, I am extremely excited to learn about the growth, processing, and exploration of coffee and bananas as well as the impacts both industries…