A Man who Ran an Ice Cream Business in Costa Rica

He was from Peru originally. His father owned a large ranch there and had money.

His father sent him to the U of California to learn more about Agriculture. He learned how to make Ice Ceram instead. He met a woman, also from Peru, and after they graduated they got jobs in the US, liked living in the US, and became American citizens.

But his father told them to come back and establish an Ice Cream business there. Bur Peru had a communist terrorist organization called the Shining Path, and they grabbed any stores they opened.

The father became an honest politician and opposed the Shining Path. The man and wife moved to Costa Rica and opened an Ice Cream business here. But another large Ice Cream business was already here, had plenty of money, and opened many stores.

They could only afford one retail store and a wholesale Ice Cream business. The wholesale business sold to large hotels in the area. He took me with him one day to see how this was done. He knew when each hotel paid its creditors, and he was there to get his check. He took his check to an office of the bank (that had convenient parking) and cashed it. After he had cashed all his checks, he went to his bank and deposited his money there.

In the States, this would all be handled through the mail. But the Post Office in Costa Rica, like most undeveloped countries, does not work that well!

I knew this family because they had advertised in the Tico Times that they a room for rent (for 400 dollars a month, meals included). The wife was visiting her sister in the States, who was taking care of their mother. But the sister no longer wanted to care for the mother, and the room I wanted to rent was no longer available.