U.S. Food Export to Costa Rica

Chihade International supplies American food products to importers and foodservice distributors in Costa Rica, shipped from our SQF-certified facility in Georgia. We are looking for a distributor partner in Costa Rica.

Why Costa Rica

Costa Rica has the strongest tariff position in Central America. Under CAFTA-DR, in force since 2009, the phase-out is now effectively complete — chicken leg quarters went duty free in 2022, and rice and dairy tariffs were eliminated in January 2025. USDA now describes CAFTA-DR as providing duty-free access for all products other than fresh potatoes and onions, which retain permanent quotas.

U.S. agricultural exports were $962 million in 2024, with consumer-oriented product at a record $506 million. It is a small but affluent market — GDP $95 billion across 5.2 million people and roughly 1.8 million households — served by about 22,000 mom-and-pop shops alongside supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs and mini-marts. Franchise foodservice grew 65% over the past decade.

What We Do From the U.S.

We are a U.S. exporter. We do not operate warehouses or distribution in Costa Rica — that is what our distributor partners do. Our job is everything on the American side of the shipment:

• Sourcing from more than 300 U.S. manufacturers, to your specification
• Consolidating mixed loads into full containers, so you are not forced into single-supplier minimums
• Dry, chilled and frozen storage in our 64,000 sq. ft. SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Spanish-language labelling, stickering and ink-jet date coding applied before goods leave the U.S.
• Export documentation — USDA and health certificates, halal certification where required, certificates of origin
• Ocean and air freight on contracted U.S. lanes, with expedited air for urgent replenishment

Import Requirements We Prepare For

Three agencies split responsibility by product type: the Ministerio de Salud covers processed foods and beverages and sanitary registration; SFE covers grains and fresh produce; SENASA covers animal products. Worth noting that Costa Rica’s SENASA is a different agency from Peru’s identically-abbreviated SENASA — the two are regularly confused.

Labelling is in Spanish under the harmonised Central American technical regulations. One point where most published guidance gets it wrong: Costa Rica has no mandatory front-of-pack warning octagons. A bill remains pending and regional harmonisation talks have been stalled, but as things stand you do not need the Chile, Peru or Colombia seal artwork here. We confirm the position before each artwork run rather than assuming.

Sanitary registration is required and now runs through an online platform that has materially shortened timelines. Separate facility registration applies to dairy, seafood, lamb and egg products, and plant approval generally takes several months — worth building into launch timing rather than discovering late.

Moín at Limón is the principal Caribbean container gateway with Caldera on the Pacific; Juan Santamaría handles air freight, though U.S. shipments are commonly consolidated through Miami rather than flown direct.

What We Look For in a Distributor Partner

We are deliberately selective, because these relationships tend to last decades rather than seasons. We are typically looking for:

• An established importer of record, with the licences and clearance experience the market requires
• Real coverage of at least one channel — modern retail, wholesale, foodservice distribution, or franchise supply
• Temperature-controlled storage and distribution appropriate to the categories you want to carry
• A sales team that can place and support a new brand rather than simply warehousing it
• An interest in a long-term programme, including exclusive lines where it makes sense for both sides

If that is a reasonable description of your business, we would like to talk.

See all markets we serve →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a warehouse or office in Costa Rica?

No. Chihade International is a U.S. exporter based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and we ship from there. We do not hold stock inside Costa Rica. Local importing, clearance, storage and distribution are handled by our distributor partners — which is precisely the role we are looking to fill.

Do we have to order a full container of a single product?

No. Consolidation is one of the main reasons distributors work with us. We combine products from multiple U.S. manufacturers into one container, so you can carry a broad range without committing to full-truckload minimums from each supplier.

Can we get exclusive rights to a brand in our market?

In many cases, yes. Chihade International is the exclusive distributor of Country Sun, our own brand of American cheeses, mayonnaise, frying oils, cheese sauce and breakfast meats. Where it makes commercial sense on both sides, we grant exclusive Country Sun distribution rights by territory — a line your competitors cannot stock. See the range at countrysunfoods.com.

Do we need warning labels for Costa Rica?

No. Costa Rica has no mandatory front-of-pack warning octagons, unlike Chile, Peru and Colombia. Legislation has been proposed and regional harmonisation is stalled, so we verify the current position before each artwork run — but as things stand the seals are not required.

Is everything duty free under CAFTA-DR?

Effectively yes. The phase-out completed with rice and dairy in January 2025, and USDA describes CAFTA-DR as giving duty-free access for all products other than fresh potatoes and onions, which keep permanent quotas.

How long does facility registration take?

For dairy, seafood, lamb and egg products a separate plant registration applies and generally takes several months. Product-level sanitary registration is much faster now that it runs online. We flag which of your lines need plant approval at the quoting stage.

How We Work With Partners in Costa Rica

Whichever channel you operate in, the U.S. side of the shipment is the same: sourcing, consolidation, preparation and documentation from our SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

• Franchise export — supplying U.S. franchise brands at their locations in Costa Rica.
• Distributor partnerships — for importers and foodservice distributors carrying American lines.
• Retail and supermarket consolidation — an American grocery range without single-supplier minimums.
• Export warehousing and 3PL — dry, chilled and frozen under one roof in Georgia.
• All export services — the full picture of what we handle before a container sails.
• Beef and protein export — U.S. beef, poultry and seafood, including halal programmes, with plant eligibility confirmed for each market.

Useful reading: Multi-language labelling for exported U.S. food  ·  Container consolidation for food importers  ·  How to become a distributor partner  · How franchise export works ·  all export guides

Become Our Distributor Partner in Costa Rica

Tell us about your market coverage and the products you are looking for, and we will be in touch about a distribution program.