BRICKS TO BREAD COSTA RICA PROJECTS

MARITZA AGUIRRE MARTINES – TRIUNFÓ MEDIO QUESO, LOS CHILES, ALAJUELA

THE COMMUNITY

Triunfó Medio Queso is a community of approximately 450 residents about 5 miles from the Nicaragua border and 7 miles from the town of Los Chiles in the Alajuela province. The property of the village was given to local inhabitants in 2018 by INDER (Costa Rica’s Institute of Rural Development) for the purpose of planting crops like yuca (cassava), corn, beans, and basic grains.

There is a small general store, a church, and a soccer field in the community, but no bakery. The primary and secondary schools are two and three miles away, along with a health clinic and other services, but public transportation is only available at 7am and 1pm. The village struggles due to a lack of employment and local development projects. Some of the women find jobs in the pineapple and orange groves, which is hard work in the hot tropical sun and often does not pay enough to make ends meet.

THE FAMILY

Maritza is a 40-year-old mother of two sons, ages 12 and 19. She has worked hard in the nearby pineapple fields making less than $10 per day, and growing small quantities of legumes, corn, and root vegetables to feed her family or exchange with her neighbors in need. She has been baking in a costly electric oven for four years, learning recipes and techniques on her own with the help of social media videos. Through her local 4S (4-H) Club, she took a business entrepreneurship course that taught her how to start a business, including concepts about profits, sales, and branding.

LIVES CHANGED

With her sister, María, helping bake and package products, and her older son, Edwin, selling and distributing to field workers and neighbors in their community, Doña Maritza can leave her job in the pineapple fields. Her Bricks to Bread oven project not only supports her own family, but her sister and brother-in-law and their 21-year-old daughter as well.

She offers fresh, artisanal bread, cakes, empanadas, and other baked goods free from preservatives, with consistent quality and flavors. At the same time she hopes to expand her bakery, she looks forward to offering her oven and kitchen to other women in need of opportunity.