here
1. What is PuraFruta?
2. What is our vision?
3. What are our values?
4. Why the Carribean coast of Costa Rica?
5. Where are we up to in the development of our community?
6. What are our priorities for 2022?
7. What is our overall vision for the land development?
8. How are we intending to complete this work?
9. How can I get involved?
10. How do I become a co-owner?
11. How do I become a volunteer?
12. How can I legally stay in Costa Rica?
13. This all sounds great, how do I get in touch to discuss further?
1. What is PuraFruta?
PuraFruta is a developing fruitarian co-operative community based on the beautiful southern
Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We and united by our common values and our commitment to a
peaceful sustainable fruitarian lifestyle.
We aim to re-create humanity’s natural habitat, as a tribe of well-detoxified and reconstructed
family members living in harmony with the environment and ourselves. We grow our own
tropical foods using fruit forest permaculture techniques and intend to live an exemplary
nonviolent life through our language, spirituality, and food choices. We are committed to
self-educating and healing, and aim to help all living beings to become free and fulfilled.
2. What is our vision?
Pura Fruta has evolved from a vision that we humans must be able to create a simpler,
healthier, and more spiritually connected life for ourselves, a life that nourishes our souls, our
hearts and our bodies. Instead of seeing the Earth as a resource to be ruthlessly exploited, we
are committed to living in harmony with nature and the wild beings around us, sharing with them
and accepting our advanced role as caretakers of this beautiful planet.
In our project vision we aim to:
help each other to grow together in profound respect to ourselves, each other and Mother Earth.
create a caring, safe environment free from intentional suffering or killing, consumption of drugs,
chemicals or harmful products for our bodies or the environment.
cultivate and care for a permaculture based fruit forest, in order to create food self-sufficiency in
the shortest time possible.
co-create with nature a place where we can live in harmony and simplicity.
become an example of how to live in a truly sustainable way.
We are bringing our vision to life through sharing sessions of our emotions and challenges; our
passions and knowledge; through work-playing together, caring for each other and supporting
each other through our stages of growth.
If you share our vision and would like to learn more about us please read on to discover how
you can become a part of Pura Fruta. Come and learn how a simpler, peaceful, more joyful and
connected life is possible.
3. What are our values?
Our seven core values are:
Veganism - compassion and support for all species is at the heart of our values, and for this reason
we are committed to living a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle while staying focus on ways of helping the ones in need.
Raw food diet - food that can be consumed in its natural state is superior in its nutritional values,
creates less residue in our bodies, promotes healing and spiritual growth, frees precious time,
and so much more.
We do respect individual pace and the need for gradual transition. Simply cooked foods that
leave minimal impact is the way to go if you are not fully raw yet; at Pura Fruta we provide the
supporting environment to help people to learn about and practice the raw food lifestyle.
Food sustainability - we will grow our own organic food through veganic permaculture -
significantly reducing environmental impacts by consuming local fruits without chemicals,
transportation, and packaging.
Family and Community - we are committed to supporting families and to our community growing
together as an intentional extended family.
Simplicity and Minimalism - we believe in reducing consumption through refocusing our priorities
away from the materialism of modern culture, and through sharing that which can be shared.
Non-Violent Communication (NVC) – we follow the program developed by Dr Marshall
Rosenberg, using NVC as a tool to achieve better understanding and co-operation.
Inner peace - we strive individually and collectively towards achieving inner peace. We hope
that our way of living can act as an example to others of an alternative way of civilization, based
not on consumption and individualism, but rather on compassion, co-operation and peace.
4. Why the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica?
After a thorough research and travelling around the globe, we made up our mind to establish a
fruitarian community here because:
* Carribean coast weather resembles wet Asian tropics, so this area is abundant in water and
tropical fruits, no need in artificial irrigation (exact same climate ad where Durian originated)
* not as hot comparing to the pacific areas in CR, no dry season hence the so desired freshness.
* beautiful and biodiverse
* the community land located in the jungle on a bank of a river and in close proximity to the
ocean and civilization,
* relatively cheap to live compared to Europe or North America, but at the same time the country
maintains high standards of living for its population: education, health care, safety, public
transportation, etc…
* ranked as a no.1 country in the world rating of happiness! Ticos (locals) don't live in stress.
Their famous greeting for all occasions is "Pura Vida", meaning Pure Life!
* biodiversity and ecology are protected by the constitution, leading with implementing "green"
policies and laws. 98 percent of it's electricity is coming from renewable sources; it's one of the
cleanest sources of drinking water in the world
* no army since 1944
* no zoos
* relatively low populated, ¼ of the territory are wild life national parks
* the country is officially Catholic, but no one stresses too much about religion
* easy to live in long-term, with even tourists able to stay for long times, buy land and start
businesses
* Carribean area of CR is very culturally diverse, it's a desired destination both for tourists and
international expatriate community (60 percent of the population in our area are foreigners from mostly North America and Europe)
* yet at the same time the area maintains it's roots reggea spirit of the local people from Jamaica
* possible to make income among broader English-speaking communities, possible to get by
without speaking Spanish (good for the start!)
The southern Caribbean coast is a particularly wonderful place to live, being blessed with great
natural beauty, incredible biodiversity, an abundance of easily spotted wildlife, fabulous beaches
suitable for swimming or surfing, coral reefs, nearby national parks and easy access to Panama
for visa runs.
The nearby town of Puerto Viejo is an attractive center for both the local Caribbean culture and
alternative traveler culture. With many long-term expats living in and around the area there are
an excellent range of facilities and opportunities, including yoga and retreat centers, alternative
schools and a wide variety of classes and events.
5. Where are we up to in the development of our community?
As of early 2021 we own 25 hectares of beautiful land just outside Hone Creek, around 5km
north of Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. We are in the process of converting
the land into an extensive fruit orchard and gardens, and developing it into a space where up to
40 households can live alongside each other as the Pura Fruta community. Our intention is to
build the community buildings and the living spaces on the hillside that overlooks the valley
where the fruit forest is starting to grow and where communal gardens will be located.
For the last six years we have held gatherings that have brought together like-minded people to
develop the vision and the land.
6. What are our priorities for 2022?
With 2 members living full-time on the land and many roofed platforms available for guests, we will be focusing on improving conditions, building a roofed structure for the compost toilet and investing in more rainwater capture from all our new roofs to create a shower for our voluteer/guest area.
7. What is our overall vision for the land development?
Our grand community vision includes the construction of community platforms such as a
meditation and yoga, community kitchen (for community events and managing excess food
supply, such as freezers and dehydrators), children platform, office and library space, laundry,
storage for sensitive equipment, etc; retreat center, nature jungle trail and creek-side trails,
pond, playground, volunteers huts, and more. Our vision will grow as the community grows, and
this will determine what we need to build.
8. How are we intending to complete this work?
We intend to contract locals to work on construction projects alongside the members of Pura
Fruta, and are also looking for volunteers who are committed to our vision and keen to help both
with construction and planting work.
9. How can I become involved?
We are looking for pioneering people who would like to join our community! At the moment we
are looking for co-investors who are ready to buy into the community shares, and volunteers
who would like to come and learn more with a view to joining the community in the future.
10. How do I become a co-investor?
Co-investors buy into the community and in return for their financial contribution are entitled to
build their own low-impact house on one of our 40 small lots and to share in the communal land
and the food produced. Co-investors can come to live at Pura Fruta either full-time or part-time
according to their needs. If somebody would like to invest but is not yet ready to move to Costa
Rica that’s fine, they would of course be welcome to come and visit at any time, and also to
pass this right on to friends and family in their place.
All funds generated through co-investment are reinvested in Pura Fruta,
to fund the community projects described above (e.g. construction of the bridge and road, etc).
It is important to understand that co-investors are not buying land, they are joining a
co-operative which owns land and makes decisions using the Sociocracy method of decision making.
Each co-investor is entitled to
a plot of around 1000 square meter to build their own accommodation on, and also access to all of the communal lands (fruit forest and gardens) and the community buildings.
Our decision making process is sociocracy - in grand planning we reach consensus based on
meeting the needs of all co-investors. Training will be provided. Smaller scale decisions that do not require involvement of all the co-investors would be made by the teams of stewards - members elected by the
co-investors to work on particular community tasks. Please read the Governance section of the website.
If you are interested in becoming a co-investor please contact us to discuss further your
circumstances, needs, and the contribution that you could make. We can offer help and advice
to anybody who is genuinely committed to becoming a co-investor regardless of their current
financial circumstances, and we can discuss alternative models for membership for those who
cannot commit to being full-time land stewards.
Please contact us for share prices.
11. How do I become a volunteer?
Our volunteer form is
Prospective Pura Fruta volunteers must be:
* committed to our vision and values
* interested in eventually joining our community (for now)
* prepared to live as a pioneer in the tropics
* available to join us for a period of at least 3 months
* able to arrange their own accommodation (e.g. living on the land in your own tent, building a
hut, or renting nearby)
Ideally volunteers will bring the sort of skills that we need at this early stage in our development,
which include things like construction, Permaculture, cultivation and communications (social
media and websites). However, even if you are not especially skilled in any of these areas but
are committed and willing to work hard and to learn we would love to hear from you.
We propose that volunteers contribute 20 hours a week toward community work. From those
who are joining to learn from a steward, we are asking a “course-fee” of $100 per month,
however this charge would not be applied to those who are bringing developed skills and are
ready to lead projects. Everybody’s circumstances can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The skills that we can share with people coming to join us include:
Raw fruitarian living
Yoga
Meditation
Non-violent communication
Animal rights activism
community living
Permaculture
Agro Forestry
Detox techniques
Simple natural living
Socioeconomics
Song sharing
and more...
12. How can I legally stay in Costa Rica?
Citizens of many countries are entitled to 90 days visa free travel to Costa Rica. This can then
be renewed by crossing the border and returning (either immediately, or after a few days out of
country depending on how many times you have exited and re-entered). Many people live this
way for long-periods of time, and this should be a viable option for most people interested in
joining Pura Fruta. As a tourist you are still entitled to own land and even to start your own
business.
Alternative ways of staying in Costa Rica are to apply for a tourist visa or to apply for residency.
Please Google to find out more about these options if you are interested.
We can offer opportunities to go mushroom picking during the northern hemisphere
summertime, which can be very lucrative work for people seeking for adventure and to fund their stay in Costa
Rica with Pura Fruta - please contact us below for more information. Alternatively the town of
Puerto Viejo and the surrounding area offers various opportunities for people with professional
skills in different areas.
13. This all sounds great, how do I get in touch to discuss further?
You can contact Pura Fruta via:
Facebook – Pura Fruta
Email - purafrutatribe@gmail.com
or through the website here
We look forward to hearing from you! ☺
1. What is PuraFruta?
2. What is our vision?
3. What are our values?
4. Why the Carribean coast of Costa Rica?
5. Where are we up to in the development of our community?
6. What are our priorities for 2022?
7. What is our overall vision for the land development?
8. How are we intending to complete this work?
9. How can I get involved?
10. How do I become a co-owner?
11. How do I become a volunteer?
12. How can I legally stay in Costa Rica?
13. This all sounds great, how do I get in touch to discuss further?
1. What is PuraFruta?
PuraFruta is a developing fruitarian co-operative community based on the beautiful southern
Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We and united by our common values and our commitment to a
peaceful sustainable fruitarian lifestyle.
We aim to re-create humanity’s natural habitat, as a tribe of well-detoxified and reconstructed
family members living in harmony with the environment and ourselves. We grow our own
tropical foods using fruit forest permaculture techniques and intend to live an exemplary
nonviolent life through our language, spirituality, and food choices. We are committed to
self-educating and healing, and aim to help all living beings to become free and fulfilled.
2. What is our vision?
Pura Fruta has evolved from a vision that we humans must be able to create a simpler,
healthier, and more spiritually connected life for ourselves, a life that nourishes our souls, our
hearts and our bodies. Instead of seeing the Earth as a resource to be ruthlessly exploited, we
are committed to living in harmony with nature and the wild beings around us, sharing with them
and accepting our advanced role as caretakers of this beautiful planet.
In our project vision we aim to:
help each other to grow together in profound respect to ourselves, each other and Mother Earth.
create a caring, safe environment free from intentional suffering or killing, consumption of drugs,
chemicals or harmful products for our bodies or the environment.
cultivate and care for a permaculture based fruit forest, in order to create food self-sufficiency in
the shortest time possible.
co-create with nature a place where we can live in harmony and simplicity.
become an example of how to live in a truly sustainable way.
We are bringing our vision to life through sharing sessions of our emotions and challenges; our
passions and knowledge; through work-playing together, caring for each other and supporting
each other through our stages of growth.
If you share our vision and would like to learn more about us please read on to discover how
you can become a part of Pura Fruta. Come and learn how a simpler, peaceful, more joyful and
connected life is possible.
3. What are our values?
Our seven core values are:
Veganism - compassion and support for all species is at the heart of our values, and for this reason
we are committed to living a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle while staying focus on ways of helping the ones in need.
Raw food diet - food that can be consumed in its natural state is superior in its nutritional values,
creates less residue in our bodies, promotes healing and spiritual growth, frees precious time,
and so much more.
We do respect individual pace and the need for gradual transition. Simply cooked foods that
leave minimal impact is the way to go if you are not fully raw yet; at Pura Fruta we provide the
supporting environment to help people to learn about and practice the raw food lifestyle.
Food sustainability - we will grow our own organic food through veganic permaculture -
significantly reducing environmental impacts by consuming local fruits without chemicals,
transportation, and packaging.
Family and Community - we are committed to supporting families and to our community growing
together as an intentional extended family.
Simplicity and Minimalism - we believe in reducing consumption through refocusing our priorities
away from the materialism of modern culture, and through sharing that which can be shared.
Non-Violent Communication (NVC) – we follow the program developed by Dr Marshall
Rosenberg, using NVC as a tool to achieve better understanding and co-operation.
Inner peace - we strive individually and collectively towards achieving inner peace. We hope
that our way of living can act as an example to others of an alternative way of civilization, based
not on consumption and individualism, but rather on compassion, co-operation and peace.
4. Why the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica?
After a thorough research and travelling around the globe, we made up our mind to establish a
fruitarian community here because:
* Carribean coast weather resembles wet Asian tropics, so this area is abundant in water and
tropical fruits, no need in artificial irrigation (exact same climate ad where Durian originated)
* not as hot comparing to the pacific areas in CR, no dry season hence the so desired freshness.
* beautiful and biodiverse
* the community land located in the jungle on a bank of a river and in close proximity to the
ocean and civilization,
* relatively cheap to live compared to Europe or North America, but at the same time the country
maintains high standards of living for its population: education, health care, safety, public
transportation, etc…
* ranked as a no.1 country in the world rating of happiness! Ticos (locals) don't live in stress.
Their famous greeting for all occasions is "Pura Vida", meaning Pure Life!
* biodiversity and ecology are protected by the constitution, leading with implementing "green"
policies and laws. 98 percent of it's electricity is coming from renewable sources; it's one of the
cleanest sources of drinking water in the world
* no army since 1944
* no zoos
* relatively low populated, ¼ of the territory are wild life national parks
* the country is officially Catholic, but no one stresses too much about religion
* easy to live in long-term, with even tourists able to stay for long times, buy land and start
businesses
* Carribean area of CR is very culturally diverse, it's a desired destination both for tourists and
international expatriate community (60 percent of the population in our area are foreigners from mostly North America and Europe)
* yet at the same time the area maintains it's roots reggea spirit of the local people from Jamaica
* possible to make income among broader English-speaking communities, possible to get by
without speaking Spanish (good for the start!)
The southern Caribbean coast is a particularly wonderful place to live, being blessed with great
natural beauty, incredible biodiversity, an abundance of easily spotted wildlife, fabulous beaches
suitable for swimming or surfing, coral reefs, nearby national parks and easy access to Panama
for visa runs.
The nearby town of Puerto Viejo is an attractive center for both the local Caribbean culture and
alternative traveler culture. With many long-term expats living in and around the area there are
an excellent range of facilities and opportunities, including yoga and retreat centers, alternative
schools and a wide variety of classes and events.
5. Where are we up to in the development of our community?
As of early 2021 we own 25 hectares of beautiful land just outside Hone Creek, around 5km
north of Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. We are in the process of converting
the land into an extensive fruit orchard and gardens, and developing it into a space where up to
40 households can live alongside each other as the Pura Fruta community. Our intention is to
build the community buildings and the living spaces on the hillside that overlooks the valley
where the fruit forest is starting to grow and where communal gardens will be located.
For the last six years we have held gatherings that have brought together like-minded people to
develop the vision and the land.
6. What are our priorities for 2022?
With 2 members living full-time on the land and many roofed platforms available for guests, we will be focusing on improving conditions, building a roofed structure for the compost toilet and investing in more rainwater capture from all our new roofs to create a shower for our voluteer/guest area.
7. What is our overall vision for the land development?
Our grand community vision includes the construction of community platforms such as a
meditation and yoga, community kitchen (for community events and managing excess food
supply, such as freezers and dehydrators), children platform, office and library space, laundry,
storage for sensitive equipment, etc; retreat center, nature jungle trail and creek-side trails,
pond, playground, volunteers huts, and more. Our vision will grow as the community grows, and
this will determine what we need to build.
8. How are we intending to complete this work?
We intend to contract locals to work on construction projects alongside the members of Pura
Fruta, and are also looking for volunteers who are committed to our vision and keen to help both
with construction and planting work.
9. How can I become involved?
We are looking for pioneering people who would like to join our community! At the moment we
are looking for co-investors who are ready to buy into the community shares, and volunteers
who would like to come and learn more with a view to joining the community in the future.
10. How do I become a co-investor?
Co-investors buy into the community and in return for their financial contribution are entitled to
build their own low-impact house on one of our 40 small lots and to share in the communal land
and the food produced. Co-investors can come to live at Pura Fruta either full-time or part-time
according to their needs. If somebody would like to invest but is not yet ready to move to Costa
Rica that’s fine, they would of course be welcome to come and visit at any time, and also to
pass this right on to friends and family in their place.
All funds generated through co-investment are reinvested in Pura Fruta,
to fund the community projects described above (e.g. construction of the bridge and road, etc).
It is important to understand that co-investors are not buying land, they are joining a
co-operative which owns land and makes decisions using the Sociocracy method of decision making.
Each co-investor is entitled to
a plot of around 1000 square meter to build their own accommodation on, and also access to all of the communal lands (fruit forest and gardens) and the community buildings.
Our decision making process is sociocracy - in grand planning we reach consensus based on
meeting the needs of all co-investors. Training will be provided. Smaller scale decisions that do not require involvement of all the co-investors would be made by the teams of stewards - members elected by the
co-investors to work on particular community tasks. Please read the Governance section of the website.
If you are interested in becoming a co-investor please contact us to discuss further your
circumstances, needs, and the contribution that you could make. We can offer help and advice
to anybody who is genuinely committed to becoming a co-investor regardless of their current
financial circumstances, and we can discuss alternative models for membership for those who
cannot commit to being full-time land stewards.
Please contact us for share prices.
11. How do I become a volunteer?
Our volunteer form is
Prospective Pura Fruta volunteers must be:
* committed to our vision and values
* interested in eventually joining our community (for now)
* prepared to live as a pioneer in the tropics
* available to join us for a period of at least 3 months
* able to arrange their own accommodation (e.g. living on the land in your own tent, building a
hut, or renting nearby)
Ideally volunteers will bring the sort of skills that we need at this early stage in our development,
which include things like construction, Permaculture, cultivation and communications (social
media and websites). However, even if you are not especially skilled in any of these areas but
are committed and willing to work hard and to learn we would love to hear from you.
We propose that volunteers contribute 20 hours a week toward community work. From those
who are joining to learn from a steward, we are asking a “course-fee” of $100 per month,
however this charge would not be applied to those who are bringing developed skills and are
ready to lead projects. Everybody’s circumstances can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The skills that we can share with people coming to join us include:
Raw fruitarian living
Yoga
Meditation
Non-violent communication
Animal rights activism
community living
Permaculture
Agro Forestry
Detox techniques
Simple natural living
Socioeconomics
Song sharing
and more...
12. How can I legally stay in Costa Rica?
Citizens of many countries are entitled to 90 days visa free travel to Costa Rica. This can then
be renewed by crossing the border and returning (either immediately, or after a few days out of
country depending on how many times you have exited and re-entered). Many people live this
way for long-periods of time, and this should be a viable option for most people interested in
joining Pura Fruta. As a tourist you are still entitled to own land and even to start your own
business.
Alternative ways of staying in Costa Rica are to apply for a tourist visa or to apply for residency.
Please Google to find out more about these options if you are interested.
We can offer opportunities to go mushroom picking during the northern hemisphere
summertime, which can be very lucrative work for people seeking for adventure and to fund their stay in Costa
Rica with Pura Fruta - please contact us below for more information. Alternatively the town of
Puerto Viejo and the surrounding area offers various opportunities for people with professional
skills in different areas.
13. This all sounds great, how do I get in touch to discuss further?
You can contact Pura Fruta via:
Facebook – Pura Fruta
Email - purafrutatribe@gmail.com
or through the website here
We look forward to hearing from you! ☺