There is initiative all over our villages, as new arrivals and old-school residents come together, each bringing their own unique gifts and qualities into their businesses, helping define what our community is today. Living the Dream is a new series in the newspaper, rooted in something real that exists here, even if the phrase itself has been overused over the last decade. The truth is, moving across the world to build something you have dreamed about your whole life – that is the defining point of living the dream, and that energy is alive and cultivated here in a way that is hard to find anywhere else in beach town Costa Rica communities like Santa Teresa and the wider Nicoya Peninsula, as people continue to support one another and help turn ideas into something tangible.
There is nothing quite like a growing community that is still shaping itself, where each person, whether they arrived decades ago or just recently, plays a role in what this place becomes. Through this series, we will be interviewing residents who stand out, along with sharing spotlight stories of those who first came here against all odds, when there were no roads, no infrastructure, no banks, no stores – just ocean, jungle, and a few strong families who laid the groundwork for what exists today. At the same time, we will include those working to make a difference now, like last months article about Bill https://santateresadirtroad.com/santa-teresa-costa-rica-community-cleanup/, known as Basura Blanco, who walks our streets picking up garbage, giving back to the community he calls home 5 months of the year. Or like the article last week about Yuli and her journey to redefine herselves and start fresh, bringing us the Jungle Apothecary Clinic, Marpe, at the cruze. https://santateresadirtroad.com/marpe-jungle-apothecary-santa-teresa-costa-rica/
These stories reflect the backbone of our village, grounded in resilience, creativity, and the willingness to take a chance on something uncertain. They are a reminder that the dream is not something handed to you – it is something built, supported, and lived, day by day, by the people who choose to be here. Below is a new story about a Costa Rican, born and raised in Esperanza.
LIVING THE DREAM – CHOLO, FRESCAZOO
I was invited by my old friend Cholo, into the kitchen of Frescazoo, where small batches of fresh fruit juices are made by hand, each bottle carrying a kind of simplicity you can feel the moment you taste it. Clean, fresh, and alive, these juices are more than just a drink – they are the result of a journey that started long before Santa Teresa, in a place deeply rooted in Costa Rica’s history and the local culture of fresh juice Costa Rica living.
Cholo was born and raised by his parents and younger brother, in Esparza, Puntarenas, one of the oldest towns in the country, founded in 1574 as Espíritu Santo de Esparza. It is a place shaped by time, by trade, by fire, and even pirate raids, a town that carries resilience in its bones. That same quiet strength follows Cholo today, though his path has taken him far from where he began.
He arrived on the Nicoya Peninsula 14 years ago, simply to visit a friend. Like many stories here, it wasn’t supposed to be permanent. But then he met César from Casa del Mar, was offered a place to stay and work, and something shifted. His job was to prepare drinks for guests, blending fruits, honey, water, and ice, learning combinations he had never imagined before. Pineapple with mint, pineapple with cilantro – simple ideas that opened something bigger. That was his first connection to a different way of living, one rooted in fresh ingredients and a kind of natural balance that stayed with him.
Work, Change, and Starting Again
But like most people building a life in Santa Teresa Costa Rica and surrounding beach communities, the path was not direct. Cholo arrived with five years of experience as a barber and turned that into his first way of surviving, offering mobile haircuts throughout Mal País and Santa Teresa, building a steady life for himself. For five years, that was his foundation. Later, he moved to Santa Teresa with his new partner and helped build a beachwear brand, spending nearly nine years working alongside her, cutting fabric and contributing to something creative and growing. When that chapter ended, he found himself starting over again.
This time, the shift brought him to San Isidro, back into a more traditional Costa Rican village, where life moves closer to the roots. Living there, something from his early days at Casa del Mar came back to him. He began making juices again, starting small, selling them during local soccer games, pouring them into simple plastic baggies, reconnecting with flavors that felt both new and familiar. The most popular was Agua e sapo, a traditional blend of sugarcane, ginger, and lime, a drink with deep Caribbean roots that people immediately connected to.
Then one day, someone from Lost Boyz tried it.
That moment sparked something more. The owner of Lost Boyz was so impressed he asked if he would bottle them for his guests. What began as a small side effort started to take shape into what is now Frescazoo.
Frescazoo and Natural Juice Culture in Costa Rica
The name itself comes from a play on “frescazo,” meaning cool or refreshing, and it fits. These juices don’t just taste fresh – you feel them. Cholo began building his process around small batches, using fruits from local fincas whenever possible, and supplementing with produce from the weekly fruit trucks that pass through the area. Ginger, turmeric, mint, basil, beets, carrots, mango, pineapple – everything guided by what is available, what is in season, and what works together.
What sets his juices apart is not just the flavor, but the intention behind them. Most are made with no added sugar, something he cares deeply about after seeing the changes in his own body. By replacing sodas and processed drinks with his natural juice Costa Rica combinations, he experienced more energy, better focus, weight loss, and a steady, sustained feeling throughout the day. Even his dogs became part of the experiment, eating the leftover pulp from carrots and beets, and he noticed visible improvements, especially in his older dog’s eyes. For Cholo, that was proof that what he was creating had real impact.
These juices are built from real, nutrient-dense ingredients – natural superfoods rich in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that support energy, digestion, and overall balance in the body.
His combinations continue to evolve – pineapple with basil, carrot with green apple, sorrel with ginger and flor de jamaica, deep purple in color, as beautiful as it is refreshing. He experiments constantly, creating juices that not only taste good but support digestion, reduce inflammation, and bring something more to the body. Some of his local neighbors and friends hesitate when they hear “carrot juice,” but once they try it, they come back. That part matters to him, introducing healthier habits into his community, especially among younger generations.
Frescazoo is now growing steadily, with his juices available at places like Jacky Buns and Lost Boyz, he sells to them in boxes of twelve that can be mixed and matched. Each week, he replaces unsold bottles with fresh ones, maintaining quality and consistency. He uses glass bottles, not plastic, collecting them back with each delivery, cleaning them through a boiling process, and reusing them with new lids. It’s a simple system, but one that reflects his awareness of the environment around him, where plastic waste is already too present on roads and beaches.
Still, this is only the beginning.
Cholo is now working toward expanding, applying for permits that will allow him to reach a wider audience. His vision is to bring Frescazoo into rental homes across the area, giving visitors a chance to connect with something local, something real, and something made with care. From there, he hopes to grow throughout the Nicoya Peninsula, always staying connected to local farmers and the ingredients that make his juices what they are.
For him, this is not just a business. It is a way of living, a way of contributing, and a way of sharing something that has already changed his own life.
And that is what Living the Dream looks like here – not something handed to you, but something built step by step, shaped by change, by risk, and by the willingness to start again.
The path to living your dream, once you arrive, is never without its challenges. But there is something powerful about facing those challenges in the very place you once imagined from afar. That is part of the full picture, and for Cholo, building Frescazoo into a sustainable business comes with that same reality. The next step is simple, but essential—growing his community of clients.
If this story has moved you in any way, here is your chance to be part of it.
Supporting Frescazoo means supporting a small, local, sustainable business here in Mal País, while also bringing real, nutrient-rich superfood juices into your daily life. Cholo offers weekly delivery of fresh, small-batch juices straight to your door – boxes of 12 bottles that can be mixed to your taste. Empty bottles are collected, and any unused juices are exchanged for fresh ones, ensuring quality you can count on week after week.
It is an easy shift – one that replaces processed drinks with something alive, local, and made with care, without adding more work to your day.
So if you are looking for a way to support local, live healthier, and stay connected to what is being created right here in our community, reach out to Cholo and get on his weekly delivery list. This is how a dream grows—one bottle, one order, one connection at a time. Whatsapp 6473 2761.
