We (and by that I mean myself, my hubby and 11 year old daughter) went to Costa Rica in the Summer of 2022. We're not rich, we don't regularly fly off to exotic places, we work normal jobs and do normal things. But an opportunity came up where everything aligned for us all to spend 2 months together not at home. When you get a chance for a trip of a lifetime, you take it! We honestly didn't expect quite how much it would change all of our lives.
Initially we had grand plans to hop, skip and jump around the area - fly in to Miami (we're based in the UK), pop to Costa Rica, then Mexico, then Cuba and back. We weren't thinking of air pollution or the environment. We were completely focused on having an experience.
But, luckily, we realised that jet setting around like that for two months would be exhausting, not to mention increasing our carbon footprint significantly. Instead we figured we'd settle on just one location and truly get to know it. We'd spent our lives, when we had the time and the money, doing weekend trips, or week-long explorations of Greek islands, and European beaches. You'd leave with this sense of only scratching the surface, of going 'wow I'd love to live there' but without any actual sense of what it would actually be like to do so. For once we thought we'd try to see life from the perspective of the people who's country it was, instead of the rose-tinted tourist view.
We chose Costa Rica because it was a country that intrigued us. Situated in the middle of Central America, surrounded by countries that all we knew about was what we'd seen on the news (ie not good), yet had no army. It's also not a big country (it's about a fifth of the size of England) but is known for having multiple micro-climates, including volcanoes, rainforest, jungle, tropical dry forests and beaches. It sounded fascinating.
When we arrived we very quickly realised that nothing we'd read or seen on YouTube had done the country justice. Everywhere we went was incredible wildlife, from armies of leaf cutter ants making their way along the street to butterflies, and birds of every colour. Once we left the capital San Jose, we saw even more, from howler monkeys and capuchins in the Monte Verde cloud forest to sloths, toucans and so much more down at La Fortuna and the coast.
But we also found something else - that this was a country that was set up to embrace, encourage and expand the amount of biodiversity on display. Rainforests and secondary rainforests were incentivised by the government to be kept as they are and not be turned into agricultural land. Coffee plantations have started using traditional techniques to protect the crops, reducing the need for harmful chemicals and pesticides. And many places monetised their existence by charging tourists to visit them, then used that money to feed back into the environment and the community. This was our first real experience of ecotourism.
It made so much sense to us, because everyone benefits. Tourists get amazing experiences, the local community gets jobs and investment in the area, and the whole world benefits from increased biodiversity.
It got us thinking. For years we'd wanted to do something that made a difference. We've raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years, we've even worked directly for charities or run companies' CSR programmes. But nothing seemed to stick, or to have scalability, or any sort of true longevity. There's only so many times you can ask people for money for another fundraising effort.
We'd met some amazing people in Costa Rica. And we'd drunk incredible coffee throughout our trip. What if there was a way to replicate this approach to ecotourism? To establish a business that could make a difference, that can support communities, all by creating an experience for others. Something that can grow and expand. That isn't about just 'please donate to this' or 'please give to that' project. Instead, something where people can do good without even really thinking about it.
From here, the whole idea of Turtlely Awesome was born. We love sea turtles (I mean, who doesn't?!) and were charmed by a group we saw on a boat trip. We knew that sea turtles were endangered and, after a lot more research, also discovered that the countries that are essential to their future (thanks to nesting sites mostly) were the exact same countries that also produce coffee. We felt like we'd had an 'Aha' moment. What if we could sell coffee and use the proceeds to raise money for turtle projects in the very countries we sourced our beans from?
It sounded like such a simple idea that we thought surely this would be easy to get going! Well, 8 months later and we're finally there. So, no, it wasn't easy...not easy at all! But we were determined to make it happen because we knew this was our shot at making a difference. We've already gone along a steep learning curve, and we're sure that there's a lot more learning still to go. But we're willing to do it because we believe in the idea. We think, in fact, that it is turtlely awesome! And we'd love you all to join us in making it work. To all be just a little bit more awesome every day. All from drinking some (incredibly delicious btw) coffee.
Thanks for reading, and for seeing what we're about. If you have any questions then please do get in touch! In the meantime, stay awesome folks!