Starbucks Buys Coffee Farm in Costa Rica
In addition to creating new coffee varieties, Starbucks says it intends to use the new farm as a basis of research that will help coffee farmers around the world.
Costa Rica
Tooth and Consequences: Fla. Woman Faces Medical Tourism Nightmare
For years, medical tourists have been going to other countries to get better deals on expensive procedures. But sometimes, cheap medical work can come with a high price -- as the recent case of a Florida woman's dental implants gone wrong illustrates.
Starbucks Goes South with a Big Surge in Latin America
Starbucks fans hoping to satisfy a Frappuccino craving in Costa Rica used to be out of luck -- until Wednesday morning, when it opened its first store there. But that's just the tip of the iceberg in Latin American for coffee powerhouse.
Saving the Family Coffee Farm: An Unintenional Organic Journey
In 1992, when coffee prices plummeted and pesticides robbed Geraldo Calderon of his health, he had to change his farming methods. But it would be another 5 years before he learned that he was on the cutting edge of the organic farming movement.
Tiny Loans, Huge Returns: Why Microlending Works
Sometimes, small gestures can make huge differences in people's lives and livelihoods. That's the premise -- and the power -- of microlending. For proof, one need look no further than the stories of Marcia and Karen, two entrepreneurs in Costa Rica.
Could This Radical College Change the World Economy?
At EARTH University, students don't produce papers. They produce -- organically grown crops they harvest and sell -- along with other entrepreneurial agricultural products. Is this hands-on education in working the soil and changing the world a model for a better future.
Whole Foods Works to Eradicate Rotten Bananas
The sweet taste and sunny hue of the banana contrast sharply with the high environmental and social costs its cultivation extracts in Latin America: pollution, deforestation, poor working conditions. Whole Foods Market is working to change that, in partnership with a non-profit international school in Costa Rica called EARTH University.
The World's Most Expensive Flip-Flops
Chipkos hopes its latest pair of fashionable flip-flops could help save the Costa Rican rainforests. One purchase will protect 100,000 square feet of the eco-rich land. But it's had no takers so far. Did we mention the sandals cost $18,000?
