About us
Cooperativa El Silencio
The land on which the property of El Silencio rests was formerly a banana plantation belonging to the United Fruit Company.
In 1955 700 hectares of banana plantation were lost after the flooding of Rio Savegre.
In the time compromised between 1955 and 1972, the United Fruit Company rented out the land. Though they had no claim on the land, the local farm workers were devoted to the region, occupying the land and farming it. After much deliberation, the government subsequently sold the land to the local farm workers, who set up the cooperative as an ecotourism project.
42 families registered as official Associates of the cooperative, living and working together for a common cause, this led to the founding of Coopesilencio R.L. in February 1973.
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In 1996, the eco-tourism business was launched with the construction of forest trails and a lodge, consisting of 10 cabins, a restaurant, and bar. They have since established an animal rescue center that provides rehabilitation services for abandoned, maltreated, and injured animals in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica.
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Since then, Coopesilencio has grown significantly, with over 80 families (approx. 500 people) benefiting from services such as schooling for all ages, a supermarket and café, offices, and a wide variety of agricultural and eco-conservation projects.
Mission: to produce and market high quality agricultural products and offer superior recreational services in agro-ecological and environmental tourism.
Vision: this is an economic enterprise modeled on a self-managed cooperative, with a strong financial position that supports the organization and administration, thus allowing the integral development of its associates and families.
The vision and mission adopted by Coopesilencio is based around the “Law for Cooperative Associations and the Creation of the National Institute for the Promotion of Cooperatives” whereby the services provided by such enterprises are organized so as to integrate the workers into the production process. Workers thus have right to participate in the decision-making processes surrounding the cooperative and have a direct personal influence upon the realization of the products and activities, receiving economic and social benefits in proportion to their efforts.
