Specialty Coffee & Sustainable Farming
Overview
This immersive internship takes place in one of Costa Rica’s most picturesque and fertile highland regions—an area internationally recognized for producing some of the best coffee in the world. Far from the tourist trail, this community is grounded in farming traditions, warm hospitality, and an increasing commitment to regenerative practices. Once dominated by monocultures, local farms are now diversifying with crops like apples, strawberries, bananas, golden berries, and sugar cane. Interns are welcomed into this agricultural transition, learning directly from experienced farmers who are reimagining what sustainable food systems can look like in Central America.
This placement offers a full-spectrum view of the coffee world, from planting and harvesting to roasting, cupping, and selling. Interns live with a local coffee farming family and gain firsthand experience in the rhythms of rural Costa Rican life. Depending on your skills and interests, you may engage more deeply in agroecological fieldwork, media and marketing for the farm’s café and specialty coffee, or even explore barista training and coffee education. Interns also learn how cooperative models and value-added products support long-term financial sustainability for local growers.
Daily Life
Life here is communal, slow-paced, and rooted in seasonal cycles. You’ll share daily tasks with your host family, from preparing meals and repairing tools to helping with chores around the house and farm. Most days include a mix of hands-on agricultural work and time at the processing plant, café, or barista school, where you’ll support everything from peeling, drying, and grinding beans to customer service, inventory, or photo documentation.
Expect to work 3–5 days per week at one or several of the project sites, with afternoons and weekends free for rest, exploration, or community events. Interns who speak Spanish may also take on translation or help develop international marketing materials to support exports to the U.S. or Europe. No matter your focus, this internship invites you into a regenerative, small-scale economy where farming, hospitality, and education come together to form a vibrant and resilient way of life.