I am so sad to be leaving this beautiful country tomorrow 🙁 These past two weeks have been filled with some of the most incredible experiences. I have learned TONS about the supply chains of coffee and bananas and all of the planning that goes into it; it’s an incredibly complex process! The process starts…

Earlier today we visited a Dole banana plantation and it was super cool! Since we have already toured many coffee manufacturers, I couldn’t help but compare the two supply chains. One major difference that I noticed was the simplicity of the banana supply chain compared to that of coffee. Bananas simply have to be grown,…

This morning we toured ICAFE, and it has been one of my favorite tours so far. We got to take a closer look at the engineering behind why the Costa Rican coffee business is so successful. One engineering aspect that I found intriguing at ICAFE was their use of propane to heat their roasters because…

This morning we took a hike through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and saw some amazing wildlife, including a toucan, a Quetzal, and spider monkeys! These sightings would not have been possible without our tour guide Eduardo, who did an excellent job spotting the animals and setting up his telescope for us to look through….

Today we visited a farm called Life Monteverde and it was incredible! The people there were so kind and the farm had a very wholesome atmosphere. Life Monteverde is passionate about sustainability and work hard to educate their visitors on its importance. In fact, any local farmers and students can come to the farm and…

Today we took a loooooong drive to Monteverde, but it was totally worth it! Monteverde is more of what I expected to see when coming to Costa Rica: green mountains, diverse plant life, and the torrential downpour that professor Teeter had warned us about. The view of the mountains is incredible and I can’t wait…

When we first arrived in San Jose, I was very surprised by what I saw; San Jose is not your typical city. While it still has lots of traffic in the streets (just like Pittsburgh!), the buildings are a bit more spread out and colorful. One major shock to me was the number of parks…

Today we visited two companies that produce gourmet coffee: Doka and Café Britt. The locals tend to drink Doka coffee, but not that of Café Britt. Why is this? It all has to do with the pricing of the coffee. Since Café Britt outsources all of their coffee beans, they only buy the highest quality…

Today we learned more about the history and culture in Costa Rica. My favorite tradition that we learned about was the “Boyeo and the Oxcart.” In Costa Rica, all of the oxcarts are painted with very bright colors and intricate patterns. This is to represent the “boyeo,” or livelihood of Costa Rica and its people….

¡Bienvenidos a Costa Rica! I am SO excited to be living in such a beautiful country for the next two weeks! Coming to Costa Rica, I expected there to be bright sunlight and warm temperatures, which is exactly what we experienced this morning. Since we are staying in the region of Heredia, which is outside…

¡Hola! My name is Tori Coughlan and this week I will be travelling to Costa Rica with the Plus3 program. As a mechanical engineering student, I am excited to learn more about how each aspect of the manufacturing process helps to produce successful companies. With Costa Rica as the second “greenest” country on the planet,…