Costa Rica's 'Natural Choice' Campaign Puts Its Produce on Millions of European Tables

Here's a number that should get every procurement director and category buyer's attention: Costa Rican exports of green coffee, pineapple, bananas and cassava to Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom jumped 23.6% in the first four months of 2026 versus the same period in 2025—climbing from $142.2 million to $175.8 million. That's not a fluke. It's the payoff of a deliberate, data-backed push to plant Costa Rican produce firmly in the European consumer's daily routine.

The engine behind much of that momentum is essential COSTA RICA, the country brand now rolling out the second phase of its international campaign, "The Natural Choice." The multi-channel effort spans Amazon Ads properties, digital media and more than 240 in-store tasting events across major European retailers in the UK, Germany and Spain.

Meeting Consumers Where They Actually Are

What makes this campaign worth studying isn't the produce—it's the distribution strategy. Rather than a traditional ad blitz, essential COSTA RICA is embedding origin storytelling into the moments when consumers are relaxing and shopping. The campaign runs across a full stack of Amazon Ads touchpoints:

• Prime Video and Fire TV ads, including a custom Fire TV landing page
• Alexa brand experiences in the UK and Germany (think hands-free recipe guidance)
• Amazon Fresh bags in the UK and Spain that turn a delivery into a recipe prompt
• A dedicated Amazon Brand Store

At the creative core sit 12 original recipe videos—four per market—developed by local chefs who reinterpret Costa Rican bananas, pineapple, coffee and cassava through their own culinary lens. Under themes like "From Our Land to Your Table" and "The Natural Choice for Modern Living," the goal is simple: make these ingredients feel like an easy, everyday choice.

"At essential COSTA RICA we are constantly looking for ways to bring our agricultural value proposition to European consumers in a way that feels innovative but, above all, natural," said Adriana Acosta, Director of essential COSTA RICA. "By working with the Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, we can become part of consumers' daily lives—whether they're preparing a recipe with Alexa, discovering Costa Rican ingredients on Fire TV before watching a movie, or getting inspired by new recipes on their Amazon Fresh delivery. This campaign not only strengthens the positioning of Costa Rica's agricultural sector, but also represents a meaningful way for PROCOMER to support one of the country's most important production sectors."

Building on a First-of-Its-Kind Playbook

This second phase extends the original "Natural Choice" campaign, developed by essential COSTA RICA with the Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab in the second half of 2025. That first effort was the first national export-brand campaign on Amazon Ads to span multiple markets—running across the UK, Spain and Germany and leaning on Fire TV, Prime Video, the Amazon Brand Store, Amazon Fresh bags, Amazon Lockers and a branded Alexa experience.

"What I love about this campaign is how naturally it fits into consumers' daily lives," said Kate McCagg, Global Head of the 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 enriches their day with useful content and vibrancy."

The in-store layer is just as deliberate. In France, 20 Intermarché supermarkets in and around Paris are hosting 120 tasting events featuring Costa Rican pineapple and cassava throughout June and July—bringing the campaign experience directly to the shelf edge where purchase decisions get made.

Why It Matters

For foodservice executives, grocers and institutional buyers, this campaign is a signal worth reading closely. European consumers are increasingly prioritizing quality, sustainability, traceability and origin—the exact attributes essential COSTA RICA is leaning into. That rising demand is measurable in the double-digit export growth, and it points to a real opening for operators who can tell a credible sourcing story on their own menus and shelves.

A few practical takeaways:

• Origin sells. "From our land to your table" isn't just a tagline—it's a purchasing driver. Buyers who highlight verifiable origin and traceability can command attention (and often margin) in a crowded category.
• The retail media playbook is maturing. A country brand running Prime Video, Fire TV, Alexa and Amazon Fresh integrations shows how commerce media now bridges entertainment and the point of purchase. Operators and suppliers evaluating where to spend should note how these touchpoints stack.
• Supply confidence. Growing, well-marketed export volumes of bananas, pineapple, coffee and cassava can mean more consistent, story-ready sourcing options for procurement teams building better-for-you and sustainability-forward programs.

The timing is intentional, too. The campaign runs through late spring and early summer in Europe—a prime window for promoting fresh produce and a wellness-connected lifestyle.

Is retail media and origin storytelling reshaping how your sourcing decisions get made? For more on how operators are rethinking beverage and sourcing strategy, read our look at the new economics of craft beverage programs and why local roots and provenance belong on today's menu. Then weigh in below—how are you putting origin to work in your business?

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.