The-Green-Fair-Courtesy
More than 140 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) found a showcase for their products in the Green Fair. Twice a week, Aranjuez and Ciudad Colón receive hundreds of people with an organic lifestyle.
They are sisters, and as such, they resemble each other and they have subtle differences, but it is obvious that a deeper bond unites them. The older one is better known, logically, but the arrival of the young one was a pleasant surprise for everyone. The first one will soon celebrate its 7 years;the latter is about to be two years old. Both of them are so loved that they receive hundreds of visitors every week.
With the goal of generating a space for the exchange of “actions, products, ideas and food”, the project finally flourished on May 15, 2010, the Costa Rican farmer’s day.
Although the idea was nourished by the energy of many enthusiasts, it was adventurous to say how long the project would be consolidated, but the truth is that success arrived soon.
Every Saturday, Aranjuez Green Fair, in the sports center of that town, becomes a Saturday stroll for the whole family. The old neighborhood sees the quiet parade of people who go with their shopping bags to the fair, that has become an essential part of people’s lives.
Some arrive with their pets, others are ready to practice yoga. People are usually looking for bread for dinner, fruits for snack, vegetables for lunch, etc.
Ciudad Colón Green Fair meant another success, just a consequence of its inhabitants’ effort to have a better, urban, community environment.
How to sell in the Green Fair?
Three or four times a year, AAMOR invites producers and small companies to submit their proposals for new products. Each proposal will have a rigorous selection process before being admitted to the Green Fair.
If they are agricultural products, they must undergo a selection process that includes certification of organic production, visits to the farms and tasting.
The other products are also evaluated. Those who prepare processed foods, such as jellies, breads, pastries, etc., are visited on their kitchens where the ingredients are found to be organic. When they are not, they contact those who sell such products or they are offered other options if these organic products are not obtained in the country.
Somehow, the Fair has become the home of a new gastronomy. Since each product goes through a process of tasting, suggestions are made until the point that each dish offered at the fair is exquisite,
declared Faviana Scorza, general director.
Regarding crafts and other artistic products, it is requested that the objects are sold by their creators, although a conglomerate of producers that sell under the same brand is allowed.
Currently, the fairs generate up to 500 direct and 2300 indirect jobs, a figure that will continue to grow. In this way, they constitute a pleasant and important alternative to the overwhelming expansion of the great food chains and a living defense of Costa Rica’s cultural identity.