Come one, come all to try out creative fare from throughout Costa Rica at the sixth Gustico food fair at the La Sabana Metropolitan Park this weekend.

The event gives small scale food and other agricultural-related producers an opportunity to meet with local and international buyers, distributors and businesses, as well as a chance introduce their value-added products to the general public.

Handmade products from the countries different regions will be available for sale and for sampling, including delicious chocolates, jams, coffee, cheese and other locally made products.

Starting at 10 a.m. Friday on the east side of La Sabana park near the León Cortés Monument and the Metropolitan Art Museum, the activity is free and open to the public, and lasts until Sunday evening.

There will be samples of interesting food creations, a lot of cool and unique handmade products for sale, games for kids, and an overall very fun environment. Saturday and Sunday, activities should start around 9 a.m., and on all days the event wraps up around 8 p.m.

Spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Gustico is a joint effort by 14 other government agencies involved in supporting the country’s agricultural sector. It is sponsored by the Banco National and the Dos Pinos dairy cooperative.

This year for the first time nearly 100 organic producers from 12 different counties in Costa Rica will be on site to showcase their fresh organically certified products.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Ivannia Quesada said, “40 percent of producers will be participating for the first time in this fair, and those who are returning will bring new products with high added value.”

Gustico’s exhibiting companies completed a training process over the past year as part of participating in the event. The training was designed to strengthen their negotiation and marketing skills, customer service, labeling, and product exposure and good manufacturing practices.

Last year’s Gustico Fair had 257 entrepreneurs mainly from rural Costa Rica and an estimated over 26,000 people attending the event. This year, a total of 376 entrepreneurs are expected and include independent producers, organized groups, cooperatives, and artisan collectives from 64 counties throughout the country.

On Friday, April 28th, potential buyers will have the chance to meet with producers at a business roundtable. Representatives from supermarkets, health food stores, restaurants, cafés, travel agencies and tour operators, and other specialty shops have been invited to learn about these new and exciting cutting-edge producers.

The event is the largest national agro-related trade fair in the country, and primarily benefits producers in rural areas, who are often also involved in recovering the country’s traditions, said the MAG.