essential COSTA RICA Takes Its Produce to European Shoppers via Amazon Ads

Here's a number that should get the attention of every procurement director and importer watching origin trends: Costa Rican exports of green coffee, pineapple, banana, and cassava to Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom jumped 23.6% in the first four months of 2026 versus the same stretch in 2025—climbing from USD 142.2 million to USD 175.8 million.

That growth isn't happening by accident. It's being engineered—part origin storytelling, part retail-media savvy—through a campaign that meets European shoppers on the couch, in the kitchen, and in the grocery aisle.

The country brand essential COSTA RICA has launched the second phase of "The Natural Choice," a multi-channel international campaign bringing Costa Rican bananas, pineapples, coffee, and cassava to millions of consumers across the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. It launched June 22, 2026.

Meeting Consumers Across the Amazon Ecosystem

What makes this campaign a case study for the food and beverage industry is where it shows up. Rather than a single ad flight, "The Natural Choice" threads Costa Rican produce through the full Amazon Ads ecosystem, including:

• The Amazon Brand Store
• Prime Video ads
• A custom Fire TV landing page
• Alexa branded experiences (UK and Germany)
• Amazon Fresh Bags (UK and Spain)

All of it is anchored by 12 original recipe videos—four per market—developed by local chefs who interpret Costa Rican ingredients through the lens of their own culture and cuisine. Creative themes like "from our land to your table" and "the natural choice for modern living" nudge consumers to fold those ingredients into easy, chef-developed recipes.

"At essential COSTA RICA, we are constantly looking for ways to connect our agricultural value proposition with European consumers in a way that feels innovative but above all natural," said Adriana Acosta, Director of essential COSTA RICA. "Working with Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab allows us to become part of consumers' everyday lives—whether they are preparing a recipe with Alexa, discovering Costa Rican ingredients on Fire TV before watching a film, or finding recipe inspiration on their Amazon Fresh delivery bag. This campaign not only strengthens the positioning of Costa Rica's agricultural sector but also represents a meaningful way for the Trade & Investment Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER) to support one of the country's most important productive sectors."

The Retail-Media Playbook, Applied to Produce

This builds on the first phase of "Natural Choice," developed with Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab in the second half of 2025—notably, the first-ever multi-market national export brand campaign on Amazon Ads. That inaugural run spanned the UK, Spain, and Germany across Fire TV, Prime Video, the Amazon Brand Store, Amazon Fresh Bags, Amazon Lockers, and a branded Alexa experience, complemented by digital and high-impact media placements.

"What I love about this campaign is how naturally it fits into consumers' lives," says Kate McCagg, Global Head of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab. "Whether they're watching a recipe on Fire TV, cooking hands-free with Alexa, or unpacking their groceries, the story of Costa Rican produce meets them where they are, and adds useful content and vibrancy to an everyday moment."

240+ In-Store Tastings Bring It to the Shelf

Digital storytelling is only half the strategy. The second phase adds more than 240 in-store tasting events at major European retailers—converting awareness into hand-to-mouth trial right at the point of purchase:

• France: 120 tasting events featuring Costa Rican pineapple and cassava across 20 Intermarché supermarkets in and around Paris during June and July.
• Germany: 120 fresh pineapple tasting events across 17 EDEKA supermarkets belonging to the Meyer and Struve groups in Hamburg and the surrounding area over the same period.

The timing is deliberate. The campaign runs during European late spring and early summer—a favorable window for promoting fresh products and the wellness-forward lifestyles consumers increasingly associate with them. Beyond positioning, the effort reinforces Costa Rica's link to sustainability, biodiversity, and the freshness of its agricultural products and production processes.

Why It Matters

For foodservice executives, importers, and grocery buyers, this campaign is a live demonstration of how origin brands are now competing—and it's a template worth studying.

• Retail media is now a produce channel. A national export brand using Prime Video, Fire TV, and Alexa to move bananas and pineapples signals that shoppable, screen-to-cart storytelling isn't just for CPG. Buyers should expect origin suppliers to arrive with demand-generation assets, not just pallets.
• Traceability and origin sell. PROCOMER's data ties the 23.6% export growth to European demand for quality, sustainability, traceability, and origin. Operators building menus and retail sets around provenance have real consumer tailwind behind them.
• Sampling still closes the sale. More than 240 in-store tastings show that digital reach and physical trial work best together. If you run a grocery or hospitality program, pairing content with on-site sampling remains a proven conversion play.

The practical takeaway: whether you source pineapple for a QSR menu or curate a premium produce aisle, origin partners who invest in consumer-facing demand can help you move volume—so ask what marketing support comes with the case.

Want more on how beverage and food operators are rethinking sourcing and demand? Read our look at why tart cherries belong on today's menu and how operators are reengineering their programs for scale. Then tell us in the comments: is retail-media storytelling changing how you source and merchandise fresh produce?

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.