We learned that Costa Rica does very little wet fermentation washing. Most fully washed coffees are produced using a mechanical process that bypasses the fermentation stage. Some producers feel it is best for the environment because it saves water consumption. Others feel it is easier to control when fermentation is not a factor. There are amazing expressions of mechanically washed coffee, although we prefer wet fermentation. Coope Libertad has stayed the course with wet fermentation. It was the only place we saw on the trip still doing any wet fermentation. They uses water reclamation systems to ensure that adherence the process is not hard on the environment. It is a bit more challenging, but they have decided it is the best way to meet the demands of quality and environmental responsibility. Another practice we saw was a conversion of coffee waste into compost. When coop members drop off coffee they pick up a load of compost so there is a healthy cycle of organic material being put back into the farms.