BRICKS TO BREAD COSTA RICA PROJECTS
ANA YANCY LOPEZ ELIZONDO
THE COMMUNITY
Cristo Rey de San Cristobal Sur de Desamparados is a community about 30 miles south of Costa Rica’s capital city. Cristo Rey is the town, San Cristobal Sur is the nearest larger municipality, and Desamparados is the name of the district within the San Jose province.
Located in a mountainous region, the climate and altitude are ideal for growing coffee beans. Not surprisingly, the majority of jobs available are in coffee plantations. Tourists regularly pass through San Cristobal as the area is dotted with national parks, hiking trails, wildlife refuges, tropical forests, and scenic vistas. Within walking distance of Cristo Rey is a museum honoring José Figueres Ferrer, the former three-term president of Costa Rica known for his role in ending the civil war of 1948 and abolishing the nation’s military.
THE FAMILY
Ana Yancy Lopez (51) lives in Cristo Rey de Desamparados with her husband, Martin (58), who is an electrician. She is the mother of 8 children, 3 of whom live with her: Mari Paz (16), Dulce Maria (12), and Matthias who is 8 and has Down syndrome. When her son was born with health complications, Ana Yancy left her job as a beautician and hoped to find a job she could do from home while taking care of Matthias. She discovered her talent and love of baking and used a gas oven for 5 years, selling an average of 300 bags per month.
Through INAMU (National Institute for Women), Ana Yancy took courses in entrepreneurship and food handling, so she has a business plan and experience in setting costs and sales projections, creating spreadsheets, and preparing food safely. From YouTube videos, she taught herself how to make and decorate stunning cakes, but was always limited in production by the space in the small oven and the time it took to bake with gas heat. Ana Yancy’s dream is to incorporate her bakery – named Sugar Bliss – into a tourist experience where visitors can tour the nearby coffee processing plant and enjoy a cup of delicious coffee with homemade artisanal baked goods from her oven.
LIVES CHANGED
The local 4-H club connected Ana Yancy with a neighbor, Karen Ramirez, who bakes and sells cakes and bread less frequently. Mrs. Ramirez has a dairy and gets milk from calves for making cheese. Already these two women join others at a women’s entrepreneur fair in the school parking lot to sell their products.
Ana Yancy’s oven and kitchen were built with the help of volunteers from Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria, MN, and local Peace Corps volunteer Tevah Gevelber. The area utilities company even donated the installation of electrical lines to Ana Yancy’s new kitchen. Soon, this capable entrepreneur will offer greater quantities of cakes, cookies, cupcakes, cake-pops, brownies, truffles, and homemade breads of all kinds. With her family continuing to help with product preparation, packing, and distribution, Ana Yancy will provide service “100% with love and dedication” and cater to the unique tastes of her clients.