Jewellery Making
Karl Bernhardt, a German who previously owned the important Ford tractor dealership in Little Rock, Arkansas, decided he wanted to retire but get into an entirely different type of business. After considering various countries, he finally decided Costa Rica was the place to go, and in 1992 started with five employees a small jewellery making enterprise. The beginning was difficult since he did not know Spanish, but this was not an insurmountable problem since he soon found the people who could translate for him.
Being strong on creativity, Bernhardt designed promotional products as badges, pins and jewellery bearing logos for international companies based in Costa Rica and now exports part of his production. His plant located in Pavas on the western end of San José has 35 employees and is managed by himself, his son and a nephew. The prospects for expansion are promising.
Organic Berry Farming
Up in the cool south Pacific highlands of the Los Santos region at an altitude of 7200 feet live in happy retirement Minnesotan Dennis With and his Costa Rican wife Ana. But it's a very active retirement. They keep very busy successfully managing their own organic hybrid berry farm. In 1992 they had purchased the farm which is located just 2.5 kilometres south of the small town of Copey de Dota. After studying the climate and soil of the area, they decided it was ideal for growing high value crops as blackberries, raspberries and golden berries. They took the correct decision for today the best berries found in Costa Rica's main supermarkets come from their farm. Their golden berries, a crop not well known in the country, are intelligently marketed as amor en una bolsita (love in a tiny bag), a term which consumers liked. This has helped increase sales.
Not satisfied with merely growing berries, the Withs built a large pond, fed it with trout for fishing, set up a small restaurant and opened the farm to the public. They're gradually building the place so that it will eventually become a new tourist destination for bird-watching, especially the beautiful quetzal which inhabits the zone, or simply for spending a nice day out in the country. The Withs plan to offer in the future educational workshops so that children can learn computer skills, English, and get to know more about the fauna and flora of the region.
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