Costa Rican native Carlos Soto went off to college at age 18 to attend California’s Loyola Marymount University. Now he’s the CEO of his own company, and it’s all because he acquired a taste for tequila while hanging out with his college friends. Soto is the founder of Nosotros Tequila, a company that has just begun to hit its stride in the adult beverage world – undoubtedly NOT what his parents h...

The company Fresh Del Monte recently launched an exotic product: the pink pineapple, currently only grown in Costa Rica, more exactly in Buenos Aires de Puntarenas. These pineapples are known as “Pinkglow”. This genetically modified fruit has the approval of the FDA “The pineapples were simply "engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the ...

On May 23, 2018, Italian fruit exporter Salvatore Ponzo was found dead in a pool of blood, in front of the Italian Embassy in San Jose. Two gunmen had pulled up on a blue dirt bike as Ponzo and his girlfriend were exiting. Ponzo was felled by six bullets, his girlfriend was seriously wounded. This January, Italian courts shed light on who Ponzo really was: a cocaine smuggler who had stolen a shipm...

In recent weeks, Costa Rica’s iconic Imperial Beer’s eagle (‘aguila’ in Spanish), has been turned on its head. It’s been seen upside down on signs, trucks, bottles, billboards and other promotional material. What gives? Imperial’s press office explained, “The country is passing through very difficult moments that have us all feeling like we are upside down on our heads, but together we will mov...

Family-owned franchisee brings the “Original New York Pizza” to Costa Rica, opens two stores. San José, Costa Rica. The Sbarro brand, located in more than 28 countries all around world, opened its first two stores in the country October & December, respectively, of 2019. The “Original New York Pizza” brings the flavor of a globally known brand for New York Style XL slices, along with an Ita...

Coffee has been a motor for economic development in Costa Rica – now it will become one of its national symbols. The symbols we are already familiar with are: the Costa Rica flag, the national shield, the oxcart, the orchid (La Guaria Morada), the national bird (El Yiguirro), the Arbol de Guanacaste tree, and of course the national slogan “PURA VIDA”. Now, the “grano de oro” (grain of gold) will j...

Bananas are probably the most important fruit crop in the world, and in 2015 Costa Rica grew and supplied one out of ten bananas consumed globally. The banana industry of Costa Rica provides at least 100,000 jobs for Ticos. Will climate change negatively impact Costa Rican banana cultivation? A recent study conducted by the University of Exeter UK, indicates that ten countries (including Costa ...

When dining out in Costa Rica knowing where to go is important. Let me take the guess work out for you. Nestled on the main strip in Manuel Antonio (Waze) with a menu fueled from inspiration culled from the coasts of Thailand - Samui Thai Restaurant is one you most definitely want to visit. The indoor/outdoor venue features a retro-chic aesthetic, decked out with wooden accents, industrial ceiling...

Costa Rica used to import between 12,000 to 15,000 tons of avocados from Mexico – the world’s largest exporter and producer of this popular fruit. In May 2015, Costa Rica banned this Mexican delicacy due to the risk of Avocado Sunblotch Viroid (ASVB) disease. Trees infected with ASVB show no signs of the disease until the fruit is opened, and inferior quality is revealed. Infected trees have a 30%...

The area of Costa Rica known as Zona de los Santos is famous for the quality of its coffee, this year, coffee lovers will be able to enjoy the Tarrazú Coffee Expo, that will take place March 1st through March 3. Some of the best coffee of Costa Rica is produced in this region with altitudes of between 1,200 and 1,650 meters and with particular characteristics that make it exportable to countrie...

Costa Rica will have the 7th edition of the Beer Indie Fest on January 19 and 20 at the Pedregal Events Center in San Antonio de Belén, Heredia. This is an event organized by the Association of Craft Brewers of Costa Rica (ACACR) with the objective of showing and sharing the variety of independent beers that are currently being produced in the country. In the event visitors will be able ...

P.F. Chang’s will inaugurate its second restaurant in Costa Rica next December 4, the restaurant will be located at the recently opened Oxígeno Human Playground in Heredia. With a total investment of close to $2.5 million, this will be the fourth restaurant the Asian fusion restaurant brand opens in Central America. This second restaurant is smaller than the original locale in Avenida Esca...

The Costa Rican Convention Center will host ¨Belgium Fest¨ an event that will bring together Belgian producers and distributors with the purpose of promoting their food, drinks and culture and offer an opportunity to network. Chocolates, Belgian Waffles, ¨Belgium Style¨ Beers as well as local craft beers, traditional Belgium food, food trucks, music and games are part of what visitors will be a...

A total of $3.5 million are being invested in the development of a gastronomy market that will also include a coworking area in the San Jose neighborhood known as La California. The project, under the name “Amor de Barrio” (Neighborhood Love) is expected to open doors by the end of this year and is a project of the owners of La Fabbrica Italian Restaurant. “Amor de Barrio” is one of several ...

Costa Rica barista Remy Molina won first place in the international contest "Coffee Masters New York", which took place October 12-14 in this US city. A beverage including cognac, coffee liquor, cocoa, vodka, orange juice, among others by the name of “First Impression”, earned the Costa Rican the first place in the competition. The prize included a check for $5,000.00 and $15,000.00 worth of...

The Sheraton Hotel in Escazu begins their Food and Entertainment  "Sunday Party" this Sunday September 2. "Sunday Party" combines gastronomy and music which will take place every Sunday for the month of September beginning at noon and finishing at 4 p.m. There will be Five food stations which will include everything, from traditional breakfast dishes such as croissants to exotic fresh option...

Scientists are now predicting that due to global warming and disease, chocolate may be virtually unavailable by the year 2050. Costa Rica could be one of the lone holdouts in the cultivation of cacao, the source of chocolate worldwide. Sweet! Cacao trees only like a particular temperature range. They will not grow outside of a very narrow geographic band, 20 degrees North and South of the equat...

In Costa Rica currently the only wholesale market that exists is the National Center of Distribution and Supply of Foods (CENADA) located in Barreal, Heredia, but by the end of January 2019 the Chorotega Region wholesale market, will be a reality. The wholesale market is being built in the area of Sardinal, Carrillo, Guanacaste, a project with an approximate cost of $52 million and financed by ...

Image Credit: Asociación de Cafés Finos de Costa Rica Costa Rican coffee made history by braking the record during the auction “Cup of Excellence 2018” (Taza de la Excelencia) in the category of fine coffee beans. The beans of Don Cayito estate closed the bid at $300.09 per pound. “With a lot of 529.11 pounds of the Geisha variety, and a honey type processing, it broke the world record esta...

Roadside fruit stands are a delightful culinary experience not to be missed while traveling through Costa Rica. The country's tropical climate and fertile volcanic soil create excellent conditions for a wide range of fruits to flourish. Although travelers may be familiar with fruits such as mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas, and coconut, Costa Rica offers a wide variety of nutritious and tasty tro...

An amazing new beetle was discovered in Costa Rica at the La Selva Biological Station in the lowland Atlantic rainforest of Northeastern Costa Rica. This beetle rides around on the backs of army ants as though it was horseback riding. To its predators or to the human eye, it looks like a second ant abdomen, given its hard, hairy shell. Scientists who discovered the beetle named it Nymphister Krona...

Tastings, workshops, conferences, music and entertainment activities are part of the 2018 Chocolate Fair that is taking place this weekend at the National Stadium in Costa Rica. The Ministry of Agriculture, the Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) and the Costa Rican Restaurants’ Chamber, are hosting the third edition of the fair that will be open from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. this Saturday, June 9 ...

Salt takes a whole new meaning for Salt Traders Costa Rica, a small company located in Santa Ana and which started out as an entrepreneurship in the University of Costa Rica by Russell Davis and Adrian Arroyo. “For some time now my fascination for salt and cooking was growing, and I presented my class with the idea of creating the first Costa Rican brand specialized in sea salt”, explained Arro...

According to data by the Regional Institute of Studies of Toxic Substances (IRET) of the National University (UNA) in Costa Rica, the country uses on average an alarming 18.2 kilograms of pesticides per hectare of cropland. The information, published by local newspaper Semanario Universidad, establishes that when compared to other countries, Costa Rica takes first place in the world, followed b...

Saturday is here and the weather is beautiful in Costa Rica, if you are looking for something to do to get you out of the house on this day there are two gastronomy festivals you’ll want to check out Taste: The Taste “pop-up” gastronomy festival combines food, drinks and music. The event will take place in the parking lot of the Real Intercontinental Hotel in Escazu today, Saturday, April 21, s...

Kololo Ramen – Korean Casual Dining, opened its doors in Plaza Tempo, Escazu, Costa Rica after an investment of close to $200,000.00. This new option offers a variety of the famous noodle soup with delicious broth and a combination of different ingredients, but the menu also has plenty of other dishes, including gluten free alternatives and vegetarian options. Jjajang Myeon (noodle dish with th...

This March 7, 2018 Starbucks Coffee Company opens the doors to its Visitor Center at Hacienda Alsacia, located on the company’s 600-acre (240 hectare) coffee farm on the slopes of the Poas volcano in Costa Rica. Hacienda Alsacia is a working farm that has served as a global research and development facility for Starbucks since 2013. Now open to the public, visitors will have the chance to experien...

The Novillo Alegre Steak House in conjunction with Bodegas Norton (winery) invite BBQ lovers to a gastronomy workshop that will take place this coming Saturday, March 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mango Plaza in Alajuela. The cost to attend is of 15 thousand colones (close to $26.50) per person; professionals from EL Novillo Alegre and Bodegas Norton will be sharing their secrets with the partic...

If you haven’t made plans for Valentine’s day yet, you may want to get started, remember that this day most restaurants are packed so getting a reservation will certainly allow your magical evening to go smoothly; if you need some ideas on where to take your loved one this February 14 in Costa Rica, we leave you with 5 great options: Sheraton Hotel: Considering that February 14 falls on a Wedn...

Food Trucks have become a very popular way of taking different gastronomy options to many people, a fun, affordable way to try delicious food. This upcoming February 10 and February 11, another Food Truck Festival will take place at San Jose’s Barrio Chino (China Town), with the participation of 26 food trucks and 15 craft brewery options, live music and great atmosphere. The beautiful wea...

The Wine World Festival will have its second edition on March 3 and March 4 at Campo Lago in Lindora, Santa Ana starting at noon and through midnight while on Sunday it will finish at 8 p.m. The participation of several wineries will give attendees a wide variety of options to sample and along with food pairings. Live music, outdoor movie screenings, cooking classes, picnic area, kids area,...

Some of the best coffee in the world is produced in Costa Rica, and certainly the culture of coffee in this Central American country has transcended through history and this beverage continues to be today one of the favorite of Ticos and people all over the world. Every year there are different events and festivals where coffee takes the center stage, February already has two lined up: Viva...

Italian food is a synonym for comfort food for many, no matter where you are in the world it is always great when you can find a restaurant that serves good Italian dishes. If you are in Costa Rica and perhaps in need of a break from rice & beans, or simply craving Italian food, we leave you with a list of 5 great Italian restaurants in Costa Rica, with these choices you can’t go wrong: L’A...

La Luz Gastronomy Festival in Barrio Escalante will take place this year on February 18 starting at 11 a.m. and through 8 p.m. This year the Festival will have the participation of 15 restaurants and the usual food trucks and picnic area. According to Carolina Rojas, part of the organization of the event, this year the Festival will have just this one date, while in previous years the Festiva...

Canton “The New Chinese Restaurant”, opened its second location in Costa Rica, this time in Plaza Itskatzú, Escazú. Canton’s first restaurant opened doors six months ago in Tibás, the restaurants are part of the company Canton Brand that has been present in Costa Rica since 2016 with a retail line of soy sauce, this brand was developed along with YHY Hong Kong that for more than 100 years and...

Kahli Gastronomy Center opened doors in Curridabat, a space to enjoy amazing dishes and learn about gastronomy. The Center is led by Costa Rican chef Sophia Rodriguez owner of Kahli Café located in San Francisco de Heredia. The new project in a 2500 square meter property with 600 square meters of construction offers a restaurant, cooking school, special events area, executive area and VIP area....

We all know that tamales in Costa Rica are a huge tradition, especially during Christmas time, usually tamales are made with pork or chicken, and additional ingredients of course, but there’s a new type of tamal, a unique type: chocolate tamales. These tamales are elaborated by Costa Rica’s Sibu Chocolate company , which early this year actually took the silver medal at the International Chocol...

If you are familiar with “El Mercado” (The Market) in Barrio La California, San Jose, a similar concept will be opening doors this December 14 in Barrio Escalante. The main difference is that El Mercado in La California is geared towards young adults who are looking for not just a place to eat but also a fun bar where they can hang out; El Mercado in Barrio Escalante is targeted to families and...

“Get the food you want, from the San Jose restaurants you love, delivered Uber speed”, this is the new business model that Uber is promoting in Costa Rica. Starting tomorrow, the new app is available for Costa Ricans to order the food they love from a selection of over 250 affiliate restaurants and have it delivered straight to their door by an Uber driver. The app allows users to browse throu...

More than 11,000 people loved the concept of the Street Food Festival that took place in the Kölbi Center in Parque Viva, Costa Rica earlier this year, the success was such that the organizers decided to do a second edition the presence this 2018. The Street Food Festival this year had the participation of 25 food trucks and stands offering different gastronomy options, live music, kids zone,...