La Experiencia del Café

As students continue to develop the conversations around sustainability and biodiversity, students visited a family owned coffee farm. This locally owned plantation is located 20 minutes hiking away from campus. Once arrived, students were met with a quick history lesson about the farm. The land was donated in the 1990s from Quakers who had migrated from the United States. They learned that the Quakers actually have a long history in Costa Rica, as they were looking to settle in a peaceful land with viable soil. Costa Rica, specifically Monteverde, proved to be the perfect paradise for their tranquil philosophies, and not having an army was a major advantage! The original Quaker migrants prioritized ecological conservation and actually set aside the country’s first private reserve!

Back at the farm, students were challenged in understanding the idea of an integrated farm. An integrated farm is one that includes a wide variety of crops including bananas, coffee, sugar cane, peppers, etc. This type of farm also integrates different animal species that act in a beneficial way towards the entire farming system. At this local plantation, students took note that the crops weren’t planted in rows but instead utilized a mixed design. Through this design, the farm was able to manage invasive species without the use of unnatural pesticides. 

If students thought walking through the plantation was fun, they had an incredible time meeting all the animals and taste testing the produce! Our future leaders got the chance to try sweet bananas and feed the peels to the goats, sip the coffee, and even harvest sugar cane. To harvest the sugar cane, students needed to use the sugarcane press, which sometimes required some immense teamwork and strong muscles to churn! The students did great with this activity and used chunks of the sugar in their coffee. For the more daring students, they tried sugarcane juice, which they described as tasting floral yet sweet. By far, the students favorite activity was petting and holding the baby goats! They were so sweet and loved being cradled. The best combination of the day was the smooth roast coffee with banana bread, perfecto!! 

With full bellies, our students then got to venture inside the owner's house and speak to his wife. Amalia is a woman in STEM who is currently building and designing her own air bnb on the farm. The students were able to speak with her about her ambition and the reason behind her new venture. She spoke about how she wants to become more financially capable and grow the plantation using money from the hotel. Amalia has designed the prototype and collaborated with other local businesses in order to ensure success! 

The students wrapped up their day by practicing their Spanish with the owners and workers. Swapping questions, sharing compliments, and learning about the manufacturing process gave students a real-life opportunity to use Spanish in the native tongue. At the end of the tour, students bought coffee beans and grinds to take home using the phrase, 

“¿Puedo comprar una bolsa de café?”

Watch out families, coffee is coming your way!!