Farm The planning process is very important for farms, especially in terms of longevity. What stuck out to me about planning with farming is how your actions today could affect the productivity of you farm down the road. Don Guillermo explained how by integrating forest, organic fertilizers, and other sustainable aspects. He not only has…
Tag: Lauren Gilfillan
Coco for Coffee Making
ADVANTAGES of Co-Ops There are many advantages to being in a cooperative. It allows for smaller companies to have access to resources without having to sell out to a larger company like Doka. By buying in, they can gain access to things like education on sustainable and more effective farming practices, connections with labs that…
If you like Pina Coladas and having tractors malfunction…
The plantations we visit today grow and export tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples from Costa Rica. Compare and contrast the supply chain of bananas and pineapple with that of coffee in terms of complexity and reach. In terms of sustainability, what does each do to protect the environment, its workers, and the community?…
Adversities in Aranal
I would say that the cloud forest and rain forest are very similar. As a non-expert, the key difference I noticed was temperature. The tropical forest is significantly warmer than the cloud forest. To what it seems, there is much more rain on this side of the mountain. As previously explained, the cloud forest only…
The Goat and I Agree: Life Monteverde is pretty awesome
The farm, as I would describe it is a grueling lifestyle but a rewarding one. Because most of the work of the farm is done the harder (but more sustainable) way, there is much more hard labor that must be done at the farm. Furthermore, because they don’t just use a cash crop, their business…
Much Ado in Monteverde
In terms of Monteverde, productivity refers to their ability to make money, and make it in the most hassle free way. This, as with most humans, is a natural instinct in order to better their own lives. For the people of Monteverde, we can see this through the development of their different businesses. The quakers…
Rising Excitement in the Mountains
As we left the cramped areas of Heredia. The scenery took a drastic turn. Much as it does in America, as we moved farther away from the big city, housing began to spread out with larger yards and often wider houses. However, what particularly struck me was the mix of types of houses. In one…
Cafe Brit is The GOAT of Marketing
After visiting 2 coffee estates in a row, you think I would have become an all knowing goddess of the coffee creation process. However, we have only touched the iceberg of the complicated process of coffee creation from bean to market. Cafe Brit today exposed us to the world of coffee roasting and more importantly…
Coffee Brewing Gives Me Butterflies!
Stacy asked my a question today that hasn’t left my mind since she asked it: “How has learning about how coffee is made going to change the way you interact with coffee?” At first, I couldn’t come up a solid answer. Sure, I knew so many new things now. Coffee is not the simple process…
Expected the unexpected
Hola! We have officially been in Costa Rica for 24 hours. It has been exciting to get to explore city of Heredia. The last time I travelled abroad I visited Spain. When coming to Costa Rica, I expected it to more and less be the same as Spain. Seeing as they both countries with hispanic…
Hola! Costa Rica
Thoughts of Sustainability entering Costa Rica It’s just a few short days before we venture to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. While it shares in many western ideals and lifestyles of the US. We can see a large divergence in the perception of sustainability. Within the United States, Sustainability is seen as a hot…