Law aims to guarantee the origin and name of Costa Rican coffee

By IDeas trademarks & patents

The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica plans to discuss bill 21.163, proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture to allow consumers to know the origin of the coffee they purchase, facilitate the traceability of the product and secure a 100 percent Costa Rican product by preventing Costa Rican coffee from mixing with varieties of other origins.

The bill, which is currently being studied by a legislative commission, also aims to transform the powers of Costa Rica’s Coffee State agency (ICAFE) -which controls and supervises this industry- by compelling companies to register contracts with producers at ICAFE and authorizing exports only to those with proper contacts with producers.

Several initiatives are criticized by groups of coffee roasters and representatives of industries in the sector, who argue that the project will limit the fundamental freedom to trade locally and internationally. The Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce (CCCR), the Costa Rican Chamber of Foreign Trade and Representatives of Foreign Houses (CRECEX), the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry (CACIA) and the Costa Rican Consumers Association have joined those players that rejects the initiative.

Coffee production has played a key role in Costa Rica's history and continues to be important to the country's economy as a major traditional agricultural sector. The commodity, in the hands of the private sector, has been historically dependent on the export market and subject to its volatility. Nowadays, close to 40 percent of Costa Rica’s coffee exports are classified as high quality coffee beans. There are eight production areas in the country with unique characteristics due to Costa Rica’s diverse climate.