Article
Andreas Cordero Ramirez: A woman of Cacao, Community, and Change
By Juliet Davey
March 23rd 2025
Cradling her smiling baby, Andreas Cordero Ramirez stands where cacao trees have stood for over a century. She is rewriting the narrative of tradition, entrepreneurship, and resilience. She is the force behind Morena Clara, a brand that embodies her mixed heritage, her struggles, and her vision for a more just and sustainable future.
Andreas’s story is one of purpose and determination. She grew up in Hone Creek - a small town located in between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Despite the picture-perfect beauty of her surroundings, she was convinced there was a better life to be had elsewhere. She studied hard and pursued her dream to work in journalism. This took her overseas where she set in her sights - fame and international renown. Fast forward twenty-two years and Andreas felt that maybe there was something more meaningful she could be doing. She directed her thoughts back to her homelands and chose to return to her family’s abandoned cacao farm where the few trees that remained had been left untended for six decades.
Behind the cafe is a rustic production space with several machines, donated by Mashav - Israel’s International development cooperation programme. Even further back is a space, housing large, wooden fermentation boxes and behind that still are the raised beds of screen upon which she dries the cacao.
Around the same time she experienced tragedy in the form of an ectopic pregnancy. This nearly claimed her life and left her in a deep depression. She recalls how she came out of this through finding a new purpose - working with young women.
Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is a popular tourist destination, but it has a darker side. The area faces challenges such as drug activity, prostitution, and teenage pregnancy. Then there are systemic barriers, from lack of education to cultural misogyny to the glamourization of drug lords and their wives. Out of necessity, many young women turn to low-paid jobs in hospitality or sex work. The culture of this region makes escaping this cycle difficult, with few clear paths to a different future.
Andreas knew a mum with four children. She used to come to help clean sometimes. She had her first child at 15 and did not receive an education. This mum recently graduated from school at 42, aided by funds Andreas generated through her chocolate tours.
This was start of it. At its peak Andreas’s community of women grew to 40 women. They gather regularly. Funds go towards buying items such as uniforms and shoes and books. She uplifts the work of these women by selling their products in her little souvenir shop also. She has dreams to grow this side of her business. Andreas is also passionate about racial justice, organizing parades for Black People’s Day on August 31st, amplifying voices that have long been overlooked.
What would she like to see change within the cacao industry in Talamanca? More unity for one. She perceives divisions within the community and the culture of competition obstruct success. She envisions a future where everyone in the community benefits. A future where there is plenty of business for everyone, where everyone wins —farmers, artisans, and families. She has co-created a free map showcasing many of the cacao and chocolate destinations in the region.
And what support does Andreas need? She’s been focusing on branding but the business still lacks certain certifications and the chocolate production area is still to be completed. And with so much on her plate she lacks the level of social media presence she would like.
Challenges do persist. Building development means neighbours are encroaching and her green corner of the street is attracting all the neighbourhood dogs who favour her property when it comes to doing their business. Then there is a nearby banana plantation which is spraying their crops with harsh chemicals that Andreas wants nowhere near her cacao. And above all, the greatest obstacle remains visibility. "If people don’t know we exist, how will I sell anything?" she asks.
She wants to see her business flourishing with people booking tours of her farm, vacationing in her cabins, customers for her souvenirs, cacao paste and chocolate bars - they come in four delicious flavours.
To learn more about Andreas you can follow her on instagram: @morenaclaracr.
That was eight years ago. Now the trees are plentiful and productive and are even home to a family of sloths. There are a couple of little tables and chairs - something of a charming makeshift cafe - placed in the shade of the cacao trees. From here you can appreciate the full extent of Andreas’s creativity. Colour is everywhere, the pods themselves colourfully adorn branches, pretty scarves, souvenirs and chocolate preparations have been carefully placed on shelves. Andreas has her own range of handmade jewellery for sale and even makes vibrant clothes. She finds an opportunity to creatively express herself in all aspects of her business. Her brand comes to life through her. I resonate with this. I sit at the table drinking in my surroundings, anticipating what she is still to show me.
Andreas’s vision was never just about cacao. In the male-dominated world of agriculture, her voice was often ignored. Though she owned the land, men would bypass her in discussions, deferring to her male cousin, the owner of the land before she acquired the title. She faced outright defiance—on three separate occasions, men brandished machetes at her, refusing to take orders from a woman. Instead of being silenced, she grew in resolve.
