At our 112-acre experimental integrated farm, learning about how to grow safe, delicious, and nutritious food brings together families and community members with an appreciation for the sustaining power of the foods we eat. By choosing to produce and eat organic food, we actively exclude foods laden with chemicals that make ourselves, our land, and our water unhealthy. We strongly believe in humane animal husbandry, and strive to ensure the health and happiness of the animals on our farm. 

What We Grow

• Integrated cropping of corn, beans, and rice
  
• Organic pineapples and bananas 
• Variety of citrus, including creole lemons
• Five different species of mangoes
• Tropical fruits and vegetables
• Sustainably managed teakwood 
  

Whey Project
We utilize suero (whey) leftover from the production of cheese at the Monteverde Cheese Factory to feed our farm animals, and the farm animals of our neighbors. Whey is a very healthy, high-nutrient food source that pigs, goats, horses, cows, and just about every farm animal finds delicious! Instead of throwing out what is considered to be an low-value byproduct, this whey is delivered to our farm and stored in a tank at Rancho El Rio. This tank is easily accessible from the road, and we invite any community member to take free whey. Our neighbors arrive by car, motocycle, ox-cart, and horseback with containers to bring this whey to feed their animals. The use of whey to fee farm animals both reduces the reliance on store-bought (and often unhealthy corn-based) food concentrates, and finds a sustainable use for a previously un-utilized byproduct. 

Alternative Food Sources: Cashew Burgers

Our cashew apple burger project provides alternative environmentally-friendly livelihood opportunities for farmers, employment for women, and reforestation of pastureland. By processing the cashew apple into a vegan burger patty, we encourage farmers to reforest their farmlands, reduce cattle-ranching, and encourage the reduction of meat-consumption. 

We buy the cashew fruit in March/April with the harvest, and employ local women to process the fruit to create our hommemade vegan patties. These "tortas de marañón" (cashew burgers) are a delicious combination of cashew apple fruit, beans, onion, flaxseed, and a variety of spices. We serve these burgers for lunch at the Saturday Feria de Guacimal, and to visiting student groups and tourists.