Telling the Story of Fair Trade and Sustainable Farming

As I flew home from what I consider one of my most amazing experiences, I was wondering how do I tell the story of Fair Trade and Sustainable Farming? How do I tell the story of my time in Costa Rica? How do I tell the story of William and all the farmers I met? How do I explain the importance of C.A.F.E. Practices and Fair Trade?

Today as I got back to my life in Chicago, people would ask me about my adventure. I made an attempt. I got polite looks and smiles. "Yeah, but did you go on the Zip Line?"I was asked. I got puzzled looks as I talked about counting coffee berries and measuring to the nearest shade trees.

So how do I do it? I think it's so important that people understand what fair trade means, not only to the farmers at Coope Tarrazu or Coope Dota, but to the farmer in Africa, or the wood harvester who makes sure the wood is being replaced in the forest.

I bought a cup of coffee from my local Starbucks, and I thought about what goes into that cup of coffee. After going up and down those mountains, and seeing what goes on in a coffee plantation, it is hard work, and these people need to be paid accordingly.

Starbucks pays a good price for coffee. It is certainly more than the average coffee purveyor. C.A.F.E. Practices means not only a fair price for coffee, but that money is going back into the community to improve the lives of those who live there.

So the best way for me to tell the story, is to make sure my family and friends understand that William, Jorge, and all the other farmers deserve a good life, and that fair trade practices are the best way to accomplish that.

Charlie

Day 10


It’s hard to believe that we only have one day left of counting coffee beans together. I started my day by “smelling my socks to see which ones were the freshest to wear”, getting a little thin on clean socks. Today was beautiful, no rain in the morning, and it stayed dry while we were out on the coffee farms. Everyone was in a light mood with lots of playing around once we were finished counting beans, taking shade measurements and soil samples.

The banana fight was the best, there is nothing better then smashing a banana in your hand and throwing it in hopes that it makes it make on your target. A few people ended up with banana down their shirts, and smashed on their backs. It was all fun until the smell; nothing smells more then rotten smashed bananas, and wet socks, "yummy".

On day ten we had dinner with all the farmers and their families, Ingrid put together an awesome slid show using pictures that all of us had taken over the past ten day. The slid show really hit home to all of us why we were in Costa Rica and the bond that we formed with the Famers and their families, and as a team.


Alexandra Sommerfeldt

A Coope Tarrazu cupping

Hello - Ingrid Barrentine here, from Tacoma, Wash.

Ever since I became a Starbucks Coffee Master, I've wanted to experience a professional cupping.

So needless to say, I became very excited when I noticed the "coffee tasting activity at Coope Tarrazu" on the two week schedule that came out at the beginning of the trip.

When I worked for Starbucks, I learned how to find - and more importantly - describe coffee flavor profiles. They used to have us taste every single coffee in the store and note our thoughts in a "Coffee Passport." It was that activity that planted in me the desire to go straight to coffee's source in origin countries.

Countries like Ethiopia, Brazil, and Costa Rica.

The cupping activity reminded me of many wine tasting tours in the Yakima Valley: First, you aerate the coffee with a spoon, then smell it, swish it around, slurp (rather noisily), and spit it - with authority - into a spittoon. You then back away from the cups and ponder what you've just experienced.

We tasted several coffees from Coope Tarrazu, followed by three from Starbucks. My favorite was the Ethiopia Sidamo - it's citrusy notes beg for a lemon loaf chaser.

I made some photos of the event, and wish I could include the taste and smells that accompanied them.

Enjoy.

La Pastora

Hi Y’all,

I am Christine from Atlanta. The only one on the team with a direct flight which means I can come back so easily. I can hardly believe we have already been in Costa Rica for twelve days.

I am just getting into the routine- up at 5 am (they were not kidding) and on the finca by 7. We measure coffee trees, count beans and leaves, surrounding shade trees and ground cover. There are 3 transects in each field and each one is located by GPS. I have not been trusted with that as I am directionally challenged. I have trouble finding my way into and out of the coffee field. Today I was actually left behind. Fortunately I was rescued by my fellow volunteer, Jason and quickly put to work.

The coffee grows on steep slopes in what I like to call Georgia red clay. It is not easy to negotiate especially when wet. Most days we are covered in mud and depending on how many times you fall it could be quite a lot. The second day several of us bought rain slickers. Mine is Smurf blue and covers me from head to toe.

Todays finca, located in La Pastora, was so picturesque. The altitude of this region promotes harder beans, higher acidity and great coffee. I am learning to drink my coffee negra appreciating the aroma and flavor. We met the farmer, Eliecer Naranjo Barrantes and his son. They worked with us. The view was spectacular the surrounding hills filled with coffee fincas and shade trees of poro and palm. You could see the town of San Marcos below. The blue dome of the church stood out against the background of red orange roof tops. The day too was spectacular. The sun was out- NO RAIN. There was a gentle breeze which boosted everyone’s spirits. You know the saying all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy – Well -- Nati started a coffee bean war which turned into a banana fight. Jason managed to tag her pretty well with mashed banana. Then there was the banana throwing contest between Ingrid and Alex. Ingrid won hitting the shed way below us on the path into the finca.

It has been fun and a lot of hard work. We have worked well together from the beginning and now are just hitting our stride. Several times we have completed 2 fincas in a day having lunch in the field and returning after 3:00 to the lab. That is 6 transects to be exact. It has given me a new appreciation for coffee and all the hard work that goes into production. I can now imagine the effort it takes to pick coffee. Support Fair Trade.

It will be hard for us to leave and leave each other. It has been a unique experience and a wonderful way to connect to another culture of people as well as to the culture of coffee. While being here everything else in my life evaporated. I became so focused on our group and the tasks we had to do that it will be disorienting and challenging to return home.

Pura Vida- We will meet again.

Pictures..

Greeting!

Here are just a few of the amazing pictures of Costa Rica and some of the team, hope you enjoy them. Some of the dates are wrong on the pictues," I am a littel Technically challenged ". I kept forgetting to reset the date on my camara when I had to re-charge my Batteries . I soon learned it was better to just take the date stamp off.

La Vida es Bella,

Alexandra

The Moist Fun You Will Ever Have

The Moist Fun You Will Every Have


The moist fun you will ever have is what we are calling our “adventure” it always rains in the afternoons like clock work; in fact I am sure you could set your watch to it. During the past week we have gotten used to sliding down the hills at the coffee bean farm. I am now calling it “Houston we have a controlled burn”. We are always slipping and sliding all the while trying to stay in control.

While visiting William’s Coffee bean farm the other day we got a rare treat, William rode his horse out to see us and have lunch with us. William let us ride the horse, which Christine and I jumped at. William then invited us to visit his home and have coffee with his family. It is the highlight of my day during these times that we actually get to visit with the famers and meet their families.

The team got a much needed break from counting coffee beans on Monday when we were taken to Quetzal National Park. What a spectacular place, we hiked to a waterfall that we had to crawl under a huge boulder to get up close and personal to see. The water felt as if it was rushing at you while you were standing under the boulder. By the time we got back to the cars to go for a late lunch we were all drenched from head to toe. We stopped at the local restaurant and had Trout for lunch. Needless to say by the time we all got back to the hotel, no one wanted dinner that night. All we wanted was dry clothes and a warm bed.

Today we visited two farms, one was Wiberth farm, and we had the opportunity to meet part of his family which is always a treat. The famers and their families are as happy to see us and meet us as we are them. Agricola farm was very steep and lots of us took a few slides in the mud today. We are going to have a big mud fight or Banana fight before this trip is over. The morning here are mostly Sunny and Beautiful, some more then others, and the afternoons are filled with downpours, good thing I love the ruin.

The worm has turned...

Not many people get excited about organic composting, but we are a different kind of people. As it turns out the process to produce organic compost is quite complex and interesting.

It started like many of our excursions, it was raining and we were at the bottom of a hill. The drive up took us through windy, muddy roads and the few brave among us peered out at the cows grazing on land meant for mountain goats. The clouds closed in on us as we arrived at the massive facility made up of three separate buildings.

Manuel Caldaron, the director of the facility, which was recently purchased by Coope Tarrazu, showed us the life cycle of organic compost. Our journey took us to a population of millions...millions of worms. You haven't lived until you have plunged your arm, up to your elbow, into a moist pile of wriggling invertebrates. The feel of the worms combined with the vinegary aroma was unforgettable, but it is the worms that make the magic. These hard working creatures eat their way through the massive piles of pulp and two years later organic compost is born!

We walked next into a building where the final product was piled. Manuel demonstrated how workers fill 40 kilo sacks, a 5 gallon bucket at a time. To much the amazement of all, Lewis was so overcome with joy by the compost that he leapt backward into a large pile and proceeded to make a "compost angel." This was fortunately captured on film!

We learned that the compost is extremely nutrient rich and made entirely out of waste left over from the milling of coffee. And with the cost of traditional fertilizer increasing 120% annually, it presents a great opportunity for the co-op to turn waste into Colones (the local currency).

In the end, we were all glad to climb a mountain to see a mountain of compost...
By Lewis & Chris
Worms...more worms...and a worm.Oh Louis.