Coffee Round 2

After being to Cafe Britt and Daisy's coffee plantation, I feel more informed about coffee in Costa Rica. They pride themselves on quality because it is grown at such high elevation. The arabica coffee plant is the only strain of coffee that is allowed to be grown, says the Costa Rican Government. Tarrazu is celebrated as Costa Ricas best and most flavorful coffee because it is supposedly grown in a region with the best soil and highest altitude. Coffee beans are all hand picked. The first export of coffee was in 1820 to Colombia and was a major industry in Costa Rica ever since! The National Theater in San Jose was built to honor the heritage and growth of Costa Rica and also for the first Coffee growers back in the 1800's.

Another issue surrounding coffee is fair trade coffee. Fair trade ensures a living wage of $1.26/pound for poor farmers. Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency.

COOCAFE is the only certified fair trade coffee cooperative in Costa Rica. Together, they represent 3,500 small coffee producers, in 9 independent cooperatives throughout the whole country. They strive to achieve social and economic development as well as support an environmentally sustainably way of life. They also must meet the quality requirements of their customers, because as we know, Costa Rican Coffee is held to very high standards.