On our fifth day studying in Costa Rica, we checked out of the beautiful Arenal Manoa hotel and began our trip to Monteverde. This region is appropriately named for its mountains covered in thick green forests. We crossed the man-made Arenal Lake by pontoon, which gave us the opportunity to see wildlife such as kingfishers and blue heron.

We then met up with our bus, which took us to the Don JuanCoffee farm. Our tour guide explained that most people preferred to drink instant or flavored coffee to avoid the bitter taste but really good coffee is a complex blend between bitter, acidic, salty and sweet . We realized that most of us have probably been drinking bad coffee back home.

Our tour began with an overview of the Fair Trade coffee practices in the area. We learned that Don Juan Coffee produced both fair trade coffee and organic coffee.

FUN FACTS

Premium price in fair trade is used as an incentive for organic farmers to grow natural coffee beans.

Holland and Germany are examples of European countries that take part in fair trade

Next we were shown examples of coffee plants at the early stages of their life cycle, which Sean, Jordan, Armaan, and Federico are holding here.

FUN FACT

Mucilage (part of the coffee bean) can be used to make biofuel.

Next, we picked some coffee cherries ourselves. Brad, Steve and Dr. Attaran competed to pick the most berries. 

After that we learned about the process of producing chocolate from the cocoa plant. Everyone loved the fresh hot chocolate that John and Nick helped make.

Next we moved on to sugar cane, and used a machine to squeeze the liquid sugar out of the plant. Sharath and Arman got a nice workout in churning the sugar cane press. This sugar was mixed with the juice of a sweet lime, which was delicious as well. Finally, we had a great Costa Rican meal and met Don Juan himself!

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a Mariposario to see many species of butterflies and insects native to Costa Rica. Some of us were brave enough to handle scorpions, tarantulas, cockroaches, walking sticks, giant swallowtail caterpillars, and bush katydids.

Fun Facts:

• Good coffee is a wholesome and complex taste with a mixture of sweet, acidic and bitter.
• Fair trade coffee ensures that farmers and producers are paid equitable wages.
• Price of fair trade coffee is about two times higher than regular coffee.
• The Costa Rican youth does not tend to adopt farming, preferring jobs that are less labor intensive and higher paying.
• Organic farms do not use pesticides or herbicides, and must take steps to prevent the erosion of soil. Instead, they utilize all natural fungicides such as citronella and skunk.
• On sustainable farms production is lower than traditional farms but the fair trade prices are higher
• In Japan high end fair trade coffee is sold for $2,000 a kilo.
• Bananas, pineapple and macadamia are grown at Don Juan’s coffee plantation to bring in additional income.

John Costello, Brad-Oneal Gillings, Sharath Jagannathan