This week we celebrated the one hundred and eighty–sixth anniversary of the Annexation of Nicoya along with the school children of Turrialba. We watched as the kids performed their traditional cultural dances. It was amazing to be a part of the cultural celebration in Costa Rica. The ninas wore white shirts with fancy colorful skirts while the ninos wore white shirts and hats. We have never been so close to such a special celebration this important. Luckily, we were able to learn some of the Latin dances to really feel like a part of the culture.
Shortly thereafter, we traveled to a local organic coffee farm called Café Historia 1492. This organic coffee company has established an alliance with local coffee growers. They participate in fair trade activities to ensure that the best quality coffee reaches the consumer. By being a part of fair trade, the consumer is guaranteed the quality of the coffee by tracing the origins back to the farm where it was grown on. We were taught that in organic coffee growing the producers do not waste any part of the bean. During the first stage, the outer layer of the bean is used for fertilization, in the second stage the sweet inner most part of the bean is used to feed the livestock, the third stage involves roasting the bean to the desired taste. Café Historia 1492 is being sustainable due to the fact that they are not wasting any of their resources.
Later that afternoon we visited a certified CST organic hotel and restaurant called Casa Turire. The entire hotel is based off of sustainable practices such as recycling and growing their own organic food for the restaurant. They also have a waste processing method specifically for fertilization. This process takes up to four months to process the grease from food to a sustainable fertilizer. Based upon our experiences and observations we have noticed that the environmental aspect of the triple bottom line is becoming more and more important to the consumer.
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