Coffee in Costa Rica.
The production of coffee plays a very important role in the history of Costa Rica, and today it is still one of the most important products of export for the country.The largest production of coffee (70%) happens in the provinces of Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago and the high lands of Puntarenas. Costa Rica`s Central Valley has the right weather conditions and soil for growing Café.
Coffee production in the country started in the late seventeen hundreds. The first two chiefs of state of the nation highly supported the production and exports of coffee. Their governments offered free land to those that were interested in growing this crop, an interesting way to encourage the production. By the late 1820´s it became the main source for revenue for the country. The first export of costa rican coffee was to Panama in 1820!
Mostly, costa rican coffee was being exported through Chile, where it was packed as ¨Chilean Coffee Valparaíso¨, and from there it was sent to England. It wasn´t until 1843 when the first direct export to Europe was possible. An english captain, William LeLacheur, send a few hundred pounds of coffee and from that moment until the second World War, the British became the number one customer for Costa Rican Coffee.
Coffee changed costa rican economy and society. The construction of a railway to the Atlantic was possible, roads, bridges and the National Theater were built. Locals were able to continue their education in Europe, and came back later, as doctors and engineers and investors. Life style and landscape changed, culture flourished, and the modernization of the once small central american colony gave opportunities to many locals and help with the consolidation of the nation.
A little bit more about coffee.
The coffee cherry comes from a plant of the Rubiceae family. There are two common varieties of plants , Coffee Arabica and Coffee Canefora (robusta). Arabica is the variety produced in Costa Rica, and is of higher quality. Coffee originated in Ethiopia were monks prepared it as a tea. Coffee was later spread to the other regions of Ethiopia and this became the point of origin of Coffee Arabica plants.
One possible origin of the name is maybe the Kingdom of Kaffa, in that country. Around 1200 AD, coffee beans arrived in Yemen. When the Turks conquered Yemen in the 1400's, they carried coffee by boat and camel throughout their empire. By the 16th century it reached the Middle East and Africa. Coffee was especially popular in the Muslim world because alcohol is forbidden in the Koran. In 1616, a Dutch ship captain took some coffee seeds to Indies and in 1658 a coffee plant arrived in Europe and was planted in the botanical gardens of Amsterdam. From there it travelled to the rest of Europe, until finally it arrived to the Americas, first to the Caribbean Islands of Guayana, Jamaica and Martinique in the Caribbean in 1721, and later to central america and the rest of the continent..
Fair Trade Coffee. The Fair Trade Organization (FTO) is a group of coffee importers, roasters, and wholesalers who work directly with the growers, thus eliminating multinational middlemen. The FTO encourages the formation of cooperatives where workers share in the profits. The elimination of the middlemen creates savings, some of which are passed back to the growers through a guaranteed price per pound and by financial and technical support. The FTO also works to educate consumers about the economics of the coffee business and the importance of buying Fair Trade products in order to improve wages and working conditions in the producing countries.
Above, you can see a picture of a basket. This are the baskets used by the coffee pickers. The will attach it to their waist with a cloth in order to have both hands free to harvest the coffee berries. The more baskets they fill, the better money they make.
You will be back to the hotel by 4 pm. After you listen to your Tour Director instructions for tomorrow, it is suggested that you pack with time for the next couple of days. Be sure that you do not miss anything, since you will be going a remote area on the 3rd and 4th day.
No comments:
Post a Comment