"When it comes to goods exports, the agri-food sector accounts for a significant 28% of all Costa Rican exports," says Laura López Salazar, CEO of Procomer, a public institution with a two-pronged mission: promoting Costa Rican exports across all sectors and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). The top agri-food export products, in order, are pineapple, banana, coffee, and cassava.
The organization plays no favorites. "Procomer serves all Costa Rican exporters equally," López is quick to point out. With 26 offices around the world, the agency actively knocks on the doors of buyers, intermediaries, and importers to broaden the country's export base. "Trade fairs are just one of the arenas where we want to position our brand. But then we spend the rest of the year managing meetings with all kinds of buyers," she explains.
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Star export products
Costa Rica is the world's leading pineapple supplier, commanding around 80% of global supply. Today, pineapple has taken over from coffee as the country's international calling card. "Now it's the pineapple. We lead with the pineapple, and from there we can bring in the cassava, the banana, and everything else.
Bananas remain a cornerstone of exports, though López is candid about the challenges of consumer-level differentiation: "A banana is a banana." The added value lies not in flavor distinctions, but in sustainability credentials. "And that's precisely where Costa Rica's story is at its strongest," argues López, who was named by Forbes Central America among the 25 key figures shaping the global and regional agenda in 2025.
© ProcomerCassava is perhaps a lesser-known gem in the catalog. Costa Rica is Europe's second-largest supplier and the United States' largest, and "its quality sets it apart from the alternatives." López sees enormous growth potential, particularly driven by the rise of gluten-free trends and the growing number of non-European consumers in European cities for whom cassava is a staple food. "This segment is a market just waiting to be won over," she says.
(right: Laura López Salazar, General Manager of Procomer, wearing the 'esencial COSTA RICA' pin)
The 'essential COSTA RICA' Brand
One of Procomer 's key strategic tools is the 'essential COSTA RICA' country brand, used simultaneously to promote exports, tourism, and investment. Launched 12 years ago, its first decade focused on building awareness. Now the focus is shifting decisively. Companies licensed to carry the 'essential COSTA RICA' mark must demonstrate compliance with the brand's core values—excellence, sustainability, innovation, social progress, and engagement—through a verifiable licensing protocol.
The next step is even more ambitious. "We're even working with some large companies to make sure their suppliers are also 'essential COSTA RICA,'" López reveals. It's a significant shift: from brand positioning to brand integrity throughout the entire supply chain. The goal is nothing less than ensuring that the values printed on the label reflect reality right down to the last link in the production chain.
Marketing and consumer engagement
Procomer has been doing some genuinely inventive consumer-facing marketing. One of its most creative initiatives took place in the second half of 2025, when the 'essential COSTA RICA' country brand and Procomer launched the international campaign "Producers of Wellbeing," bringing Costa Rican agricultural products into the spaces where today's purchasing decisions are made: digital platforms and everyday shopping moments.
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The campaign reached well over 40 million people across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, showcasing products like bananas, pineapples, coffee, and cassava through a narrative built around origin, quality, and well-being.
A standout innovation was the partnership with Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, which embedded Costa Rican products into Amazon's digital ecosystem in markets including the UK, Spain, and Germany—across platforms such as Fire TV, Amazon Prime, Alexa, and Amazon Fresh. The campaign blended educational content, creative storytelling, and high-impact urban and digital activations—including activations at London's Waterloo station—generating close to 88 million viewing opportunities.
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It was further complemented by activations and tastings at more than 500 points of sale across international chains such as Tesco, Morrisons, Ahorramás, Bonpreu, and Handelshof, alongside influencer collaborations that carried the message from the digital world straight into the hands of consumers.
Sustainability: More than just a buzzword
"Sustainability" is a word that gets thrown around endlessly in export promotion circles. But López argues that Costa Rica's credentials in this area are structurally stronger than those of most countries—precisely because a law backs them. "In Costa Rica, it's the law. So basically, if you produce in Costa Rica, you already have an important component of sustainable practices built right in."
Procomer actively co-invests through seed funding, covering certification costs, equipment upgrades, and innovations that demonstrably cut energy and water consumption or improve waste management.
Market distribution and shifts: Europe on the rise
The current regional export rankings are as follows: the United States in first place, Europe in second, Central America in third, Asia in fourth, and South America in fifth. Notably, Europe has climbed from third to second place over the past two years, driven by Spain, the United Kingdom, and the major port markets of Belgium and the Netherlands. For fruit exports specifically, North America and Europe are the dominant destinations, with Japan and China also being significant buyers of both pineapple and banana.
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Among the new markets being actively explored, China stands out—Procomer has spent 15 years working to establish the access protocols for exporting Cantaloupe melon there and is confident a breakthrough is now within reach—as is the Middle East, where pineapple, banana, and ornamental plants are making inroads. López is patient but optimistic: "These things take time, but we're very close."
New products and agri-tech: Beyond the big four
Beyond the established export stars, Procomer is actively championing a range of newer products: green plantain for chips and flour, ginger, turmeric, taro, coconut water, and various root vegetables. "We've been promoting all kinds of products. Coconut, of course — coconut water. And we're trying to drive a lot of innovation in these sectors," says López. Seed capital is being channeled into companies pushing the boundaries in these areas.
Looking even further ahead, Procomer is working to develop an agri-food innovation cluster in the Guanacaste region, in partnership with Earth University, aimed at attracting both foreign and domestic capital into agri-tech, seed genetics, and technological development. Major international players such as Bayer are already conducting genetic research in Costa Rica. "That tells you something about what this country is capable of," says López. "We have the talent, we have the biodiversity — now we want to build the infrastructure to match."
From promotion agency to development agency
More than once, Procomer has shown a real ability to read the room and reinvent itself. "We always said we were a promotion agency. But now we can say we're a development agency too," López concludes. That evolution — from visibility and brand-building to active co-investment in capabilities, innovation, sustainability, and market development — perfectly captures the ambition driving this organization forward.
For more information:
Laura López Salazar (General Manager)
Procomer (Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter)
Lobby B, Plaza Tempo, Escazú
Costa Rica
Tel.: +506 2505-4700
[email protected]
www.procomer.com
