ORIGIN TRIP
12 - 18 FEBRUARY 2024
COFFEE PARADISE COSTA RICA
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Come travel with us, meet our farmers and discover the most important landmarks of our coffee producing grounds. It will be harvest season and there will be lots to see!
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DAY 1
-Arrival at hotel in San José in order to rest from the flight and jet-lag.
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- San José center visit to the National Theater for a short cultural tour and history of coffee production in Costa Rica. The theater is a coffee landmark and was built from coffee export taxes as were the banking system and roads at the time.
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- Lunch at one of the hippest neighbourhoods in San José with Specialty Coffee cafés.
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- Visit the Shefa Exclusive Coffee F-1 hybrid greenhouses.
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- Here we will learn about F-1 hybrids and will also get to see the new exotic varieties and new projects by Gaia.
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-Travel to our accommodation in the Tarrazú region.
DAY 2
DAY 3
-Wake up in the Tarrazú region is Finca Las Mercedes, the real coffee experience. We will stay at typical coffee farm house "casona" from the 1900's. The farm has been producing coffee for more than 90 years. They now use what they call productive shadow on their plantations, also cultivating avocado which generates more that 50% of the income of the farm.
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-Visit Café La Cumbre farms, 4th generation coffee producers. In 2021 they built their own processing plant. Minor and Nancy now run the farm and in 2023 have just started to build direct trade relationships with their micro-lots through Grounds.
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day 4
Cartago
- Visit our partners and Specialty Coffee producers Don Alexis Coffee and their micro-mill "Los Campos". They are specialized in fermentation processes and are also moving onto F-1 Hybrid varieties.
- Lunch with the family at the farm and learn more about controlled fermentations.
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- Visit the Gaia Roastery, share roasting profiles with each other and we will have a cupping session.
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- Travel to our accomodation in the West Valley
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Day 5
West Valley Coffee Region
- Visit La Isla Coffee Farm, a relatively new farm with impeccable farming practices.
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- Visit Helsar de Sarcero organic farm and cascara processing laboratory. Here we learn about this innovative process that produces the cleanest cascara in the market! Here we will also see a working dry-mill. This is where coffees are packaged and prepared for export.
day 6
West Valley coffee region
- Visit the Shefa Exclusive Farms together with Fernando and Angie
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- Guided coffee picking (if they let us! We'll do our best to make this possible. However, it is high season and we might get in the way of production)
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- Travel back to San José to spend a last evening before departure
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day 7
- Leaving paradise is always hard, we know! But we'll make it a memorable experience, we promise!
-Travel back or keep traveling!
What our fellow travelers say
"What a Beautiful Journey
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Our trip in 2023 was a gift. Well organized by Annelise, and even for a coffee nerd like me, there was something to learn. Not only did we get to see a lot of the country, but we also visited different coffee farmers and plantations. From a coffee plant nursery to fermented coffee beans, we got to see them up close.
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The beautiful places where we stayed and the company we had created lasting memories.
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In a few years, we would love to join again, to enjoy the hospitable and beautiful country. But also to see how far the coffee farmers have come in their development.
We're already looking forward to it!"
-Ron de Wit & Dewi Hoeve
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
€1300 p.p
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Price includes hotels, breakfasts, accommodation taxes, transport and a completely customised guided tour.
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If you are a Grounds partner you get 10% discount.
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- Price does not include flight ticket. We will meet in Costa Rica and give everyone the flexibility to vacation before or after our organised trip.
- Some lunches, dinners and extra entree tickets are not included. We'll do our best to keep it low profile and catch the local experience the Anthony Bourdain style.
- A day's plan may change depending on people's availability to receive us on site. Final itinerary will be provided before the trip.
- We do not profit from organizing this trip. We will coordinate as much as we can to make it easy and enjoyable.
- It speaks for itself that we will be tasting lots of delicious coffees!
- Book before December 31st to secure your spot!
- We have space for a total of 8 people
- Available spaces: 1
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Want to join us? Send us an email to: annelise@groundscostarica.com