Banco Promerica Costa Rica announced on May 4 that three Costa Rican brands took part in Expocomer Panama, an international multisectoral trade fair held in March at the Panama Convention Center. The participating brands—Made AfroChic, The Rainforest Lab, and Guabaya Games—were featured under the Esencial Costa Rica country pavilion.
The event is significant as it brought together over 600 companies from more than 30 countries, providing a platform for businesses to make connections and explore new opportunities in international markets. The participation of these brands was facilitated through Banco Promerica’s Mujeres Protagonistas program, which aims to support women entrepreneurs by offering tools, training, and access to spaces that help expand their business vision.
Gina Mitchell, founder of Made AfroChic—a brand established in 2020 focusing on fashion rooted in Afro-descendant cultural heritage—said: “Participar en un espacio como Expocomer nos permitió salir de nuestra dinámica local y entender cómo se mueve el mercado internacional. Fue una oportunidad para validar nuestra propuesta, generar conexiones de valor y visualizar nuevas posibilidades de crecimiento para la marca.”
Other participants included Mariana García of The Rainforest Lab, who presented sustainable cosmetics based on tropical biodiversity; and Viviana Steinvorth of Guabaya Games, who showcased creative industry products combining education and entertainment inspired by Costa Rica. Unlike fairs focused solely on direct sales, Expocomer emphasizes commercial opportunities through pre-arranged business meetings between exhibitors and international buyers.
The selection process included technical preparation for export procedures and negotiations as part of a regional program involving fifty Central American women entrepreneurs. Three were chosen to represent Costa Rica at this international event. Marianne Hütt, Marketing Director at Banco Promerica Costa Rica said: “Creemos firmemente en el potencial de las mujeres empresarias y en su capacidad de transformar y hacer crecer sus negocios. A través de nuestro programa Mujeres Protagonistas, impulsamos su desarrollo ofreciéndoles acompañamiento, herramientas y acceso a oportunidades como Expocomer, que les permiten proyectarse hacia mercados internacionales y llevar sus empresas al siguiente nivel.”
Following their participation at Expocomer Panama, the brands will focus on following up with contacts made during the event to turn those connections into concrete business opportunities abroad.
