As we approach the end of the trip, reflecting on the past two weeks becomes extremely important for the sake of how we’ve all grown academically and culturally. For a supply chain and marketing major, this trip was chock full of pertinent information that has grown my curiosity in the coffee and chocolate industries, as…

Chocolate is one of the world’s most popular and complex delicacies. Coming from a long, rich history, the story of chocolate, as we learned today at Sibö, is very old and sprawling. Starting centuries ago in central America, and running up through the present, chocolate has been on a very long journey. The cross section…

When comparing the supply-chain processes of the tropical fruits we saw today, such as bananas and pineapples, to coffee, it’s a fair statement to say that the tropical fruits have a much easier supply-chain process. Bananas and pineapples do not need to be processed in the same extensive process as coffee beans do. While all…

As we’ve visited a number of Costa Rica’s diverse ecosystems, we’ve also experienced the very diverse climates as well. Whether this be the cloudy, cool mountains of Monteverde, or the hot, sticky heart of palm plantation in northern Heredia, Costa Rica varies greatly from spot to spot. Heart of palm differs a fair bit from…

Today’s visit to Life Monteverde provided a great deal of insight int the life of a Costa Rican farmer. One of the biggest takeaways from today was how almost everything on the farm is utilized, whether this be the coffee plants, fruit, animals, or other greenery. Life Monteverde is a very sustainable farm that utilizes…

Sustainability in Costa Rica is a very unique topic. While the country is one of the top leaders globally in preservation of wildlife and forests, they use the most pesticides per square kilometer in the world. Reconciling these two very different aspects is unique and challenging, and between our hiking tour in Monteverde and our…

Our journey from Heredia to Monteverde provided a number of insightful looks into the lives and communities of Costa Rica beyond Heredia and San Jose. The roads and towns were much less developed. Infrastructure in many of these communities is only just beginning to grow into more developed and urbanized areas. The roads leading up…

Touring Café Britt was a very unique experience that I explains very well the process by which the company roasts and exports its coffee. Their strategy of hiring actors for the tour guides, as well as implementing social media and influencers for marketing, sets them apart from their “competition.” It’s also worth noting I enjoyed…

The Doka tour today provided a very insightful look into the coffee making process. As a supply-chain major, I anticipated to be interested by the process. I, however, wasn’t anticipating the more in-depth sides of the process, as well as how old much of the technology was. Much of the process utilizes machinery put in…

After more than 24 hours in Heredia, I can honestly say I’m feeling confident about the next two weeks. While initially a little hesitant about how smoothly the trip would go after a long travel day and very little sleep, things seem to be working out very well, and Costa Rica is shaping up to…

Costa Rica’s sustainability efforts have launched that nation towards a much greener and eco-friendly economy. Despite Costa Rica’s small geographic size, it makes up approximately 5% of the Earth’s biodiversity, so recent sustainability initiatives have attempted to preserve the country’s unique and beautiful wildlife. While they have implemented a number of projects, a handful of…

Hey everyone! My name is Max Christopher. I am 19 years old and from North Huntington, PA. I am majoring in supply-chain management and marketing, with a minor in film studies. I am passionate about filmmaking and hoping to take that to the next level through the feature film I’m working on, which is currently…