The International Trading Company S.A. (EICSA) is a Costa Rican producer and exporter of Pococí papayas, a hybrid variety, developed and protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Costa Rica. This papaya was created from the Solo variety and is characterised by its very firm flesh, weight of 1 to 1.6 kilos and a very sweet flavour.
When this papaya was created 10 years ago, it was said to be perfect, which is why Costa Ricans call it "the perfect one". This motivated EICSA to register its brand for the sales of its papayas as GOLDEN PERFECTA.
EICSA has been in operations since 2004 and was the first company to work with this variety. It currently owns 60 hectares for production in various stages. The firm is the result of the union of 13 partners working with a single production plan, each one in charge of a small plantation, allowing them to have a better control on pests and fruit quality.
"The goal of the association was to bring a group of vastly experienced producers together, with sound knowledge about papaya growing, to become stronger as a group. The production management, mainly oriented for export and with controlled fertilisation, has allowed us to obtain a much higher quality and productivity," affirms Anabelle Solano, of EICSA.
The firm started exporting to Canada, its current main market, 7 years ago; a destination where 30,000 kilos are shipped every week; however, Anabelle explains that there is still some growth potential. "Our next step will be to enter the United States, as the protocol for the access of Costa Rican papayas is a priority in the bilateral agenda, which is very interesting for us."
Europe is another attractive destination, but the company is still seeking to become certified and find a quick and reliable means of transport. "Our priority is for all EICSA producers to continue growing in a sustainable manner," states Anabelle.
"We use organic products in the post-harvest and we have a project for the production of organic papayas in a plantation with ample experience in the growing of certified organic cacao and bananas using European technology."
EICSA is a truly environmentally-oriented company. It refunds the expenses generated by transport from the plantations to the port, collaborating with reforestation projects. In Canada, they are members of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
For more information:
Empresa Internacional de Comercio EICSA, S.A.
Anabelle Solano (General Manager)
Phone: +(506) 2224-4887
Mobile: +506-88155199
@: [email protected]
www.eicsacr.com
Empresa Internacional de Comercio EICSA, S.A.
Anabelle Solano (General Manager)
Phone: +(506) 2224-4887
Mobile: +506-88155199
@: [email protected]
www.eicsacr.com
