Coffee Farm Field Trip!

Third graders had a blast on their field trip to Fazenda Santo Antonio da Bela Vista outside of Itu. Students arrived and had a tasty breakfast of passionfruit juice, grape juice, and hot chocolate accompanied by meat and cheese sandwiches and a few bolhina de chuva. First we, learned about
how the coffee beans were harvested from the plants and had the chance to authentically sift a pile of beans from debris of leaves and sticks. Next, we learned how the beans were sorted and dried in the sun. In the big barn we saw the large machines that were used to finish the drying process and peel the skin off the
coffee bean fruit and one last quality sort. Finally, we saw how the coffee beans were stored and roasted. Before lunch we went for a 4.4 km hike on the trail around the coffee farm. For many students this was the first time they had this kind of experience. Crossing over a stream on a log bridge, ducking under twisted branches, avoiding ant hills, observing nature, spotting: old bee hives, forest mushrooms, fallen shells of bird eggs, twisted branches of trees ready to climb other trees nearby.  As we made our way back to the farm, students had to avoid cow droppings and jump across a good sized puddle that was in our path. Bebel, the farm's owner received us with a tasty lunch of rice & beans, spagetti with meatballs, chicken, salad, and jello.  As we finished lunch and bought our coffee we made our way onto the buses and back to school.  Thank you parents for getting your children to school early so this trip could be possible.

Click here to see more photos of our trip!