The Costa Rican Entrepreneur Who Makes Artisan Chocolate…With A Bicycle

A young innovator in Costa Rica has made a successful business by producing artisan chocolate and cocoa seed products with “bicycle machines”.

Three years ago, Andrés Ulate (pictured) started his business by infusing his experience with vehicle engineering with is passion for cycling, then throwing in an interest for the creation of organic products.

The result was “Bicichocolate” (Bikechocolate), a company that produces 500 tablets of chocolates and 100 units of pinolillo (a sweet cocoa-type drink) each week through sheer pedal power.

Andrés now holds workshops for people interested in creating their own machines, demonstrating what is possible with a pile of scrap and a little ingenuity.

“These machines — being economical and easy to make — represent an interesting alternative,” he told Costa Rica News.