Organic Coffee Production in Costa Rica

Today we visited an organic coffee plantation called Cafe Britt. We were all shocked on our drive their that we didn't have to climb mountains to get their, as it was in the middle of a city. We later found out that this was just the tourist location of Cafe Britt's company, and was not the place where their real coffee is grown. The tour was very informative and it was probably more of a theatrical presentation than a tour. We learned just abou everything about coffee, including the precise processes of taste testing and smell testing. After both of these trips to coffee plantations, I really wished I liked coffee! It smells so good but tastes so bitter. Like Daisy's brand of coffee, the coffee of Cafe Britt is grown high up in the mountains. However, Cafe Britt has been producing "certified organic coffee since 1991." Unlike inorganic coffee production, organic coffee is not cultivated with pesticides or other unnatural fertilizers to improve growth and efficiency of the plant. Cafe Britt uses 100% organic materials to improve and fertilize their soil, which ensures soil quality anp protects ground water. They pick all of their coffee manually and use water to separate the fruit from the beans. Cafe Britt buys all of their plants from growers who consistenlty produce orgainc coffee and that are certified in the organic business. Also, Cafe Britt practices fair trade. This means that they pay their suppliers prices higher than that of the market because of their outstanding quality. Beause they are a giant company, Cafe Britt can afford to practice fair trade and produce organic coffee. They bring in enough profit to cover the large costs of production, which is nearly impossible for small plantation owners such as Daisy Rodriguez. Cafe Britt helps their growers to be as efficient as possible because they believe in improving the sustainable development of coffee production in Costa Rica.