Since 200 years ago, there has been the coffee plant in Costa Rica and the experts agree that, due to the volcano soil on which it grows, it creates one of the world's best coffees. This was also the reason why members of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), among them mostly roasters and traders, but also baristas, traveled to Costa Rica.
They carne from the honre countries of Costa Rica's most important customers, among others Holland, Germany, Sweden and England, followed by the USA. The visitors are interested in everything about coffee production: beginning with the harvest (which is solely done manually), the processing, drying and exporting. But the aspects of environmental care and the working conditions were also a theme they were interested in.
All participants of the coffee market, from planters to baristas, are present in our association. During our visit here we primarily search for good coffee, said a participant from Holland. But our customers also want to know that the coffee farmers get a proper price and work under fair conditions.
There are 54,000 coffee farmers in Costa Rica, most of them members of largar cooperativas. During the time in which the world market prices, duo to various factors, have fallen around 30%, the coffee farmers increasingly search for new marketing areas and direct business connections with smaller roasting plants and traders. Costa Rica's coffee institute (ICAFE) has therefore organized this tour in order to get Costa Rican coffee more well-known in Europa.
And, many years ago, this institute had introduced a unique world-wide fair trade method: the coffee farmers get a down payment when delivering the beans. At seasons end, it's then checked to see how much has been earned by the country sale and export and, after costs are deducted, the rest is paid percentage wise to all participants.
This is how the coffee farmers can safely get a fair share of the total proceeds during economically hard times. And, naturally, they hope that, due lo these visitors, coffee lovers in Europe will hit upon the right taste and discover coffee from Costa Rica.
Costa Rican Coffee 
