Coopeagri

We spent the day today with members of Coopeagri in San Isidro de Perez Zeledon. We started in a meeting with the CEO and board members. They showed some videos and power points and gave us a chance to ask questions. We learned that not only do they grow Fair Trade  coffee and sugar cane, but they have a gas station, supermarket, and most recently a cafe.

We went to a coffee plantation and learned how it is cultivated and processed. We sampled oranges, lemons and tamarinds from the trees they have planted amongst the coffee to provide shade. We got to see a 3 toed sloth climbing in a tree and a beautiful toucan. We learned that because of new equipment, they are using 70% less water to process the coffee.

Their organic fertilizer plant was closeby and we got to see how they compost the pulp from the coffee "cherries" and sugar cane solids, bag up the finished product and sell it back to their farmer/members at the subsidized rate of $2 for 100lbs.

Another meeting was with some members that are also involved with the Fair Trade town initiative. They are still working towards becoming a FT Town and wanted ideas from us on moving forward.

Tomorrow we will visit the Penas Blancas River where there are issues about degradation of the ecosystem due to corporate agriculture.