Have you ever heard of the sunflower field in Costa Rica, located in Pital, in the canton of San Carlos in the province of Alajuela? A beautiful tourist place that, for many people, visiting is like a dream: because of the beautiful 2 hectares full of sunflowers and the authentic energy you feel.
Recently, we had an exclusive conversation with one of the two creators of Girasoles de Costa Rica: Eric Porras, who with his cousin Wady Rojas, made an idea of years come true and that after so many sacrifices, today is a success in the Central American country.
It turns out that this is the first sunflower field in Pital. For 3 years, Eric insisted to his cousin Wady to start that project that he thought about so much, he was presented with the opportunity to travel to Brazil looking for support since in Costa Rica at that time almost 4 years ago they were not able to obtain it.
“I worked in an NGO with children in favelas, I also took the opportunity to explain there what I wanted to do, Doors opened a lot, but at that time before the pandemic, my dad was sick with heart disease, I returned to Costa Rica for him, although in Brazil I already had a job, where to go to plant, I had everything,” said Porras.
When Eric returned to Costa Rica, the pandemic started so he decided to stay, he was unemployed so he started to grow sunflowers as a hobby.
It is worth mentioning that today he is 33 years old and has been planting sunflowers for more than 20 years, “since I was a child I used to plant them alone because in my house there was a parrot and I was watching where I threw the seed and the sunflowers came out on their own, I grew up knowing only this plant or flower, it has been so many years, I know it from beginning to end”.
Before starting the project, he already knew how to make a field of sunflowers, in the country had never seen one, as there are always cut for flower shops, but Eric Porras, wanted to do it for exhibition, for tourism, always keeping the essence of Costa Rica, “wanting to maintain the identity, both on the issue of placing the national flag in the middle of the sunflowers, which looks beautiful, highlighting many of the things that the country has, we have taken bands to play,” he said.
A start full of sacrifices now turned into success.
As in many situations, Eric and Wady encountered limitations when they started the sunflower field. Eric explained that it was a project that required a lot of money and he did not have a job, so they decided to do many things: Eric almost mortgaged his house, the car he had at the time had to pledge, they owed money to several people with the conviction that their idea, their purposes would be worth it.
When Eric arrived from Brazil, his cousin and now partner told him: “Okay, let’s do it”, They went to see the property because it is rented and the two eagerly started to plant, to do everything possible to obtain the permits in the middle of the pandemic.
“In the first harvest, we invested a lot of money, it was only going to last 4 weeks the sunflowers, it turns out that the first week the Ministry of Health did not want to give us the permit so we did not open when they gave us the permit there were 3 weeks left, three weekends that we knew was the strongest to recover the investment; The first weekend that we opened of the three that were left, there was a flood in the area and few people came, the stress level was enormous, after all, in the last two weeks people responded and many people came, enough to recover the investment and invest again, which is what we always do in each harvest”.
Innovating for the public…
Every year, Eric and Wady decide to innovate, For example: last harvest they had dinners in the middle of the sunflower field, which was something spectacular, they always try to do something different for each harvest.
Something significant is that they have the giant sunflower that has attracted much attention and they do not lose focus on doing everything with quality, without losing the identity of Costa Rica, that is, mixing everything, “plus the stories, which leads me to think humbly that we can become the best sunflower field in the world, perhaps not so much for the extension, When we started the project I went knocking on doors, and honestly we have not been recognized by absolutely nobody, except by God, in the sense that he is the only one we have counted on, today we do not reproach so much what could not be, rather we value the growth we have had”, expressed Eric.
They already have more than 50 thousand happy visitors
In the opinion of Eric Porras, the mastermind of Girasoles de Costa Rica has the slogan “the sun in your hands”, Pital de San Carlos, was mostly known for the pineapple, never for something touristy and thanks to the field of incredible flowers, in a matter of three years they have opened nine seasons in which more than 50. In a matter of three years they have opened nine seasons in which more than 50,000 people have arrived, including international celebrities such as actress Angélica Vale and her mother, the first actress Angélica María, “but above all, it is how people leave the field, that is essential, that they leave with good energy, satisfied and happy. We want them to identify us, also because of our good service and treatment of visitors,” he emphasized.
Citizens from the following countries have already been welcomed this season: Jamaica, the United States, Honduras, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, and Nicaragua, among others.
A committed team
In the sunflower field, Eric and Wady have 25 workers who help them with cleaning, deploying at the entrance, and planting. Throughout the country, they have 160 tour operators who make up a group. “We created the group to let them know 2 months in advance that we are going to have a harvest because I can change them, they are not fixed, for example, the next one can be for February or March, when I am planning the planting I inform the tour operators about the dates, in that I have had 98 percent accuracy from the moment I say -that we are going to open when the sunflowers open, we have the harvest in the best part which is when the tour operators start arriving and until the final date when we calculate that there will be no more flowers. “
For Porras, the point with sunflowers is that sometimes when planting seeds, the same as always, with the same conditions, the harvest can vary between 7, 8, and even 9 weeks from the first moment, “All our knowledge leads us to be able to warn each of the tour operators in time, depending on the time of year, when we are going to plant, we calculate whether it will be flowering or not”.
“In that group, I have so many people because since it’s something natural, everything can change,” Eric explained.
Free of pesticides
The team working in the sunflower field does not use herbicides or pesticides, mainly insecticides because they want everything to be very organic. After each harvest, they send them to cut by hand all the weeds so as not to introduce any chemicals to the plants, the environment, or the bees, because they are important living beings in the world, It is more than all the commitment to the conservation of the lung for them (the bees), so that they can go and have the pollen of the flowers.
A benefit for all
The whole community of Pital today has benefited, in the sense that in the countryside there is no restaurant, but there are nearby, so Eric and Wady recommend them to go, additionally Very close there are hot springs, a butterfly farm, the Arenal volcano and more, which are options for tourists to know.
Great moments
In our pleasant conversation with Eric Porras, he highlighted some of the moments that have been lived in the sunflower field, which today mean a lot to him.
In Alajuela where he lives, in the Central Valley about two hours from Pital, he made a last test before going to plant the first sunflower seed in the field, “I usually transplant the sunflowers, because the birds eat them from small, that day I went to bed at 3 am, because the weather is cool, so they are adapting and avoided that the sun does not have any affectation, in this way I tell it because we do a tour”.
When Porras went to bed that day, he said he felt a palpitation for something, Two months passed, the sunflowers grew and the flower only lasted a week, that week When his garden was very beautiful, they called him from the children’s hospital in Costa Rica telling him that there was a girl named Sarita who had terminal cancer and they were going to take her out of the hospital because the treatment, the chemotherapy was not working for her, they sent her home with the family.
Sarita’s dream was to know a field of sunflowers, and he decided that they should go to his house where 12 pots grew, “Sarita arrived and when I saw her smile, it was my confirmation and the feeling from God that showed me why I was doing it and the purpose of why we were planting and I planted at dawn, besides the conviction that it was going to be worth it, from there, trusting in God everything went well”.
Another moment when Girasoles de Costa Rica was already active, was when two grandparents who were seen walking in the field, said that their grandchildren wanted to know the field but unfortunately died in a traffic accident, They were there on their behalf, to bring them sunflowers.
Some couples have committed to the field, and for example, on Mother’s Day, they make the dynamic of having their children deliver sunflowers to them, definitely a nice moment.
Finally, for Eric the inspiration that comes to them in each harvest is valuable, all the effort is to guarantee the best experience so that people come back and are happy. “Indispensable is to resist in the face of difficult moments, comments, the conviction of why things are done, to do it wholeheartedly, with God always first and blessing others”.
If you want to know more about this magical place and the dates of each harvest you can follow them on their Instagram account: @girasoles_de_costarica on Facebook: as Girasoles de Costa Rica
