Throughout this trip, we learned a lot about how the supply chain was affected by planning. Regarding the farming aspect, we learned how important it is to know how many crops you will plan beforehand. If you don’t know exactly how many crops you need, you could create a surplus or even a shortage before…
Tag: Ryan Schreyer
Chocoholic
Today we visited Sibo, a chocolate Company, where we learned about the history of chocolate and their company. Throughout the explanation of its history, we learned that coffee and chocolate are fairly similar. Chocolate is native to Costa Rica, while coffee is native to Africa yet the production for each of those products is the…
The Plantain Provider
When it comes to the differences between coffee and bananas/pineapples, timing is much more important for the ladder. Pineapples can only last up to 40 days (if they were perfect) before the fermentation process begins after they are picked. As for bananas, it is very similar because they can also go bad very quickly. In…
Pipey Palm Plant
Today, we visited the Caribbean side of the Continental Divide and learned about the Heart of the Palm and how the farms work over there. The process for farming the Heart of the Palm is much different than coffee in the sense that the climate requirements are much different. The Heart of the Palm requires…
Life Monteverde
At Life Monteverde, we learned a lot about being a sustainable farmer in Costa Rica. They grow plenty of different things that allow them to be self-sustainable and not need to purchase many things from other people. They also depend a lot on their crops for their economic stability so the weather and their yield…
Hike in the Clouds
When visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, we were able to see plenty of animals while also learning a lot about sustainability in Monteverde. Not only through the hike but through our lectures did we learn about how important sustainability is in Monteverde. Monteverde is deep in the mountains of Costa Rica, especially the preserve…
Don Jose Knows the Way
Huge shoutout to Done Jose for maneuvering through the windy roads of the Costa Rican mountains. The drive up to Monteverde was really interesting and not only because of the views. The mountain views were insane and I was not previously aware of the presence of many mountains in Costa Rica. Additionally, we drove by…
Cafe Britt Tour
Today we visited Cafe Britt, where the quality of the coffee is insanely good. However, we were told about how Ticos don’t drink Cafe Britt coffee and prefer other brands. To figure out why this is the case, I asked the person who knows the most about Costa Rica that I know; Mama Tica. My…
Dia de Doka
Today we learned about how coffee is produced at Doka. The process as a whole was incredibly interesting, but there were two things that really stood out to me. First, I could not believe the pay the Nicaraguans were receiving for their work on the plantation. I also was shocked that they still used their…
First Impressions
Upon arriving and on my first night in the Homestay, I was a little nervous. It felt very weird to be overseas and I felt entirely out of place. However, my Mama Tica is incredibly welcoming and she helped make this change a lot easier for me. The food has been amazing. Today we enjoyed…
Sustainability in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s sustainability plans and new policies demonstrate their progressive mindset and its positive affect on the country’s well being. I have a great deal of respect for the policies in systems implemented in Costa Rica starting in the 90s considering they promote a healthier and progressive way of living. Costa Rica adapted environment friendly…
Discovering Costa Rica
Hey everyone, I’m Ryan Schreyer and I am from Robbinsville, New Jersey. I decided to go to Pitt because of their immaculate business program and city location. I always knew I wanted to be a part of the study abroad program because of past stories about the program. I picked Costa Rica because of my…