Instituto del Café de Costa Rica

What Instituto del Café de Costa Rica does

Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (ICAFE) is the official Costa Rican government institution, established by Law No. 2762 in 1948, responsible for regulating, supporting, and developing the country's coffee sector. It operates as a public-sector body headquartered in Heredia, with seven regional offices spanning the country's six defined coffee-producing regions (Valle Central, Valle Occidental, Los Santos, Turrialba, Pérez Zeledón, and Coto Brus). ICAFE's mandate spans regulatory oversight of all economic agents in the coffee value chain — producers, benefitting firms, exporters, and roasters — including mandatory registration, contribution collection through FONASCAFE, export contract reporting, and stewardship of the 'Café de Costa Rica' Geographic Indication.

Its core technology and product surface centers on the SICWEB web application (for economic agent registration, export and futures contracts, and price evaluation), the CRCAFE registration platform, the CICAFE Coffee Research Center (genetic improvement across 13 trials, the Ojo de Gallo disease risk assessment system, chemical laboratory services, and the Revista Informativa publication series), and the FONASCAFE trust fund which administers credit programs for plantation renovation and pruning in partnership with Banco Nacional, cooperative banks, and FINADE guarantees. Other offerings include the Cup of Excellence specialty competition, INNOVA-VERDE climate-innovation contest co-financed by the EU and GIZ, the Programa Café Joven youth initiative, and climate information services.

ICAFE's business model is not commercial — it is funded via mandatory sector contributions (FONASCAFE levy, suspended at $0.75 per fanega for 2024-2025), external grants (EU/GIZ INNOVA-VERDE funding of up to €300,000 per edition), and facilitation fees on credit guarantees (FINADE 1.5% annual commission). Pricing on producer credit is set at the Central Bank's Tasa Básica Pasiva plus spread (years 1-3: +2 pp; year 4+: +3.5 pp), with a 3.5 percentage point ICAFE-MAG production subsidy for the first three years. Distribution is purely domestic across Costa Rica via the regional office network and the SICWEB self-serve platform; there is no commercial pricing for ICAFE's regulatory and information services.

Name

Instituto del Café de Costa Rica

Legal name

Instituto del Café de Costa Rica

Website

https://icafe.cr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (ICAFE) is the Costa Rican government institution established by Law 2762 that regulates the national coffee sector and serves coffee producers, benefitting firms, exporters, and roasters through registration, FONASCAFE financing programs, CICAFE research, and the 'Café de Costa Rica' Geographic Indication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coffee Sector Regulatory and Agricultural Research Services

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Coffee sector regulation
• Agricultural research services
• Plantation credit programs
• Geographic indication certification
• Coffee export oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Heredia

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Contribución Cafetalera (FONASCAFE): Mandatory contributions from the coffee sector collected through benefitting firms, funding the National Coffee Sustainability Fund (Fondo Nacional de Sostenibilidad Cafetalera). The contribution rate was suspended at $0.75 per fanega for the 2024-2025 harvest.
2. Coffee Sector Financing Services: Facilitates credit programs for coffee producers through partner financial institutions (Banco Nacional, cooperative banks) for plantation renovation and pruning, with ICAFE providing loan guarantees through FINADE.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ICAFE is the official Costa Rican government regulatory and research institute for the national coffee sector, established by Law No. 2762. It delivers sector governance, applied research through CICAFE, mandatory economic agent registration, export contract administration via SICWEB, coffee plant disease risk assessment, and credit programs for plantation renovation and pruning delivered through partner banks and cooperatives.

Product overview

Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (ICAFE) is a governmental institution managing Costa Rica's coffee sector through a multi-platform digital infrastructure. The core operations are supported by web applications including SICWEB for sector management and CRCAFE for economic agent registration. Research and development is handled by CICAFE (Coffee Research Center), which conducts genetic improvement programs, publishes the Revista Informativa series, and maintains specialized tools like the Sistema de Valoración de Riesgo de Ojo de Gallo. ICAFE administers financing programs including FONASCAFE trust fund and credit plans for plantation renovation. The institution also runs competitive programs such as Taza de la Excelencia and innovation contests like INNOVA-VERDE. Additional services include chemical laboratory analysis, climate information, and the Geographical Indication certification program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FONASCAFE (Fondo Nacional de Sostenibilidad Cafetalera): National Sustainability Fund for the coffee sector that manages contributions and financing programs for coffee producers, including credits for coffee plant renewal and pruning.
• CICAFE (Centro de Investigaciones en Café)

Products and services

• SICWEB Web Application

Quantifiable outcome

• Third consecutive Bandera Azul 3-star certification for ICAFE's farm in Santa Lucía de Heredia, demonstrating compliance with strict environmental and agricultural sustainability criteria.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS)coreOthersINS partnered with ICAFE to provide a Workers' Risk Insurance policy for coffee harvesters, covering over 21,000 seasonal workers. The policy is financed through FONASCAFE resources and includes both national and accredited migrant labor.
• Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAG collaborates with ICAFE on coffee sector policy, joint financing programs for plantation renovation through the Fideicomiso para el Programa Nacional de Renovación Cafetalera, and initiatives like INNOVA-VERDE.
• Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad SocialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in the development of the Workers' Risk Insurance for coffee harvesters, contributing to ethical recruitment and migrant labor compliance through SITLAM.
• Cooperación Alemana para el Desarrollo (GIZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ coordinates the TRANSFORMA-INNOVA program, a multi-donor climate initiative. ICAFE executes the INNOVA-VERDE innovation contest for the coffee sector, co-financed by the European Union and German government.
• Fundación Banco Ambiental (FUNBAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFUNBAM co-implements the TRANSFORMA-INNOVA program alongside GIZ, CATIE, Conservation International, CRUSA, and PNUD. FUNBAM supports ICAFE's execution of INNOVA-VERDE.
• Asociación de Cafés Finos de Costa Rica (SCACR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCACR organizes the Cup of Excellence competition in Costa Rica with ACE (Alliance for Coffee Excellence) and ICAFE sponsorship, promoting Costa Rican specialty coffee globally.
• Sponsors (SMS Specialty, J&B Internacional, Panamerican Coffee, Yara Costa Rica, The Coffee Source, Plástico Tico, Black Gold Specialty Coffee, Coricafé, Grain Pro Costa Rica, LA EVA, Oxcart Café Imports, Faciteck)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors supporting the Cup of Excellence competition and Costa Rican specialty coffee promotion at international level.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• PROMECAFE: Regional coffee research and development program for Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Dominican Republic. Comparable as a coffee R&D coordination body that ICAFE/CICAFE participates in and whose research output ICAFE consumes.

Direct peers

• Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia: Colombia's national coffee growers' federation performs an analogous role to ICAFE: regulating the coffee sector, managing a national coffee fund (FoNC), running research and extension, and operating commercialization infrastructure. It is the closest structural twin to ICAFE in the region.
• Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA): Uganda's statutory authority regulating coffee production, research, marketing, and exports. Functionally analogous to ICAFE in mandate (registration, export licensing, sector research and development).
• Kenya's Coffee Directorate (Agriculture and Food Authority): Kenya's regulator for the coffee subsector, handling licensing, market information, and quality standards. Comparable statutory framework and producer registration functions to ICAFE.
• Consejo Nacional del Café (CNC) - Brazil: Brazil's coffee council represents producers and coordinates policy, sustainability programs, and sector data. It mirrors ICAFE's role as a national coffee governance body, although it operates on a much larger production base.
• Asociación Nacional del Café (ANACAFE) - Guatemala: Guatemala's national coffee association regulates and supports the coffee sector with research, marketing, and producer services. Its structure and Central American operating context make it a direct comparator to ICAFE.
• Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE): Honduras's official coffee institute performs research, sector regulation, and producer support functions virtually identical to ICAFE, including credit facilitation and market information services.

Broad incumbents

• Specialty Coffee Association (SCA): Global industry body setting specialty coffee standards, training, and events. Comparable to ICAFE insofar as both set quality/protocol standards and convene the coffee sector, though SCA operates globally and is membership-based rather than governmental.

Emerging players

• World Coffee Research: International non-profit focused on coffee genetic improvement and agricultural R&D. Comparable to CICAFE's research mandate, especially the genetic improvement program, and a natural partner/peer in pre-competitive coffee breeding.

Others

• Inter-American Development Bank - Agricultural Climate Finance Programs: Multilateral lender running blended-finance and climate-smart agriculture programs in Latin America. Comparable as an enabling/co-financing partner to ICAFE's INNOVA-VERDE-style programs, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ICAFE_COSTARICA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ICAFECR
• Facebookfacebook.com/icafe.cr
• Instagraminstagram.com/icafecostarica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icafecr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Instituto del Café de Costa Rica