With support from the Atkinson Foundation and _____________ to our ForestBanana™ Project, Rainforest Relief has been able to support the efforts of small-scale organic banana producers in the Talamanca region of Costa Rica. The support made it possible for us to assist growers in their attempts to diversify production and markets and increase their incomes.

Carrie McCracken has been coordinating our project in Costa Rica since May of 2001. With our support, Carrie was able to achieve many of our goals for the year, including: the construction of a second solar drier, the purchase of supplies for the processing and packaging of banana vinegar, and the purchase of supplies for the construction of a ìmini-plantî to produce banana vinegar and other products.

Working with coˆp personnel, Carrie has been able to assist in the purchase of materials for processing and packaging organic banana vinegar. Carrie reports, ìLike the dried fruits, the sale of banana vinegar has helped diversify the market and increase earnings for growers. Materials purchased included the following: twenty-five 240 liter barrels for fermenting the vinegar; filters for removing pulp and sediment; a pH meter; 2 large pots for cooking the vinegar prior to bottling; five hundred glass bottles and plastic tops for bottling vinegar for the tourist market; stickers and informational tags; and five-hundred 700 ml bottles for bottling vinegar for the national market. We also purchased 5,000 kilos of bananas in December of 2002, when the company that purchases bananas for puree production suspended quotas, leaving producers without a market for their product. Additionally, funds were used for testing the vinegar at the Costa Rican National University laboratory, to ensure that it was free from any biological contamination.î

Remaining funds were passed on to ACAPRO ó a banana farmer coˆperative, who were put in charge of purchasing materials for and constructing a mini vinegar processing plant. ACAPRO have purchased all materials and are currently constructing the plant. The plant is necessary in order to receive permits from the Costa Rican Health Ministry, which are required for the sale of food products on the national market. The plant will also be essential for the processing of the volumes of vinegar needed to meet national and international demands.

Carrie reports that, ìto date, the vinegar has been overall more successful in terms of sales and production than the dried fruits. For this reason, while we plan to continue with the dried fruit project, our main emphasis in the next year will be on the vinegar project. Sales of vinegar continue to increase, both on the tourist and national market. Money earned from sales of vinegar, after paying producers, is used to cover labor, purchase bananas and other needed supplies and materials.î

For more information on this project see ForestFarm™. To intern with Rainforest Relief in Costa Rica and help local organic forest farmers, see the Internship section.