Costa Rica with Nespresso

How does your coffee go from tree to bean to cup? We were lucky enough to travel to San Jose, Costa Rica with the Nespresso team and some old friends to find out the extensive process. We, just like many of you, take our coffee for granted. It’s one of those things that is always just there. It’s the first part of our morning routine, the start of a new day, the calm before the storm… you get the picture. It’s pretty important to us and we’re glad that something that means so much to our day-to-day is also something that is important to families and farmers in Costa Rica. The first thing we realized when we got to the Nespresso coffee farms, was how they are family owned, cared for like family, and therefore are beautifully maintained. Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program ensures the best quality, sustainability practices, and farmers’ livelihoods are the top priority. Trust us when we say that the difference between a AAA farm and a non-AAA farm are worlds apart. These guys are doing things right!

Our mornings on this two day trip started early. We were up at around 5am both days to get ready and head out. The drives were long, and a bit bumpy, but we were in great company with our friends in the van. Any sleepiness we may have had was always in the presence of coffee, so we were happy campers and in good hands. Our friend Lou (Little Green Shed) who we met on our trip to the Cannes Film Festival, was great company. We chatted about Christmas and the differences in how the US and the UK celebrate the holidays. We shared stories about our families and how blogging graciously led our paths to cross. She’s become such a good friend and we hope you give her a follow! Another pal of ours on this trip was Will Darbyshire. He too was on our trip to Cannes, and he is always a pleasure to chat with. Will is a true inspiration, his videos and movies are ones to check out. We were lucky to spend a few days with him while sipping coffee in Costa Rica.

The coffee process is quite intense. We (naively) had no idea how rigorous a journey that little bean takes. Let us tell you, it isn’t easy to pick those cherries from their trees and from there on to the washing/processing, being sold at the purchase point, then tasting for quality to make sure these beans are Nespresso-ready and then out they go. It’s a process we were lucky to see from start to finish, and I don’t think we’ll ever take another cup for granted again.

Some of our favorite moments outside of the coffee were just getting to spend time with the families behind these farms. They made us all authentic Costa Rican meals, chatted with us about their properties and did so with huge smiles on their faces. We felt honored to be let into a piece of their lives and grateful for the wonderful experience.