The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is a must year round. For us surfers from October to March mother ocean brings us some insane waves and we humans chase them! With that chase, there is a call for rice and beans with jerk-chicken, to have as many times as you can eat it… and we do!
Mango Coco Caribbean Style is our tribute to this lovely zone and its people! Mango, creamy coconut mixed with garlic, ginger, hints of passion fruit, orange juice and of course… habaneros!
We hope you are transported to that little restaurant
on the beach that serves up their famous rice and beans that you remember! And if you haven’t ever been to such a place…. Then Mango Coco will bring those positive vibes to you wherever you are!
By far, the BEST tasting sauces I’ve ever had! The quality, care, and flavor are bursting with every bite! On top of rice, or on a giant pile of chicken wings – or simply by the spoon lol.. you can’t go wrong!
OUR STORY
Searching for year-round warm water waves and a relaxed lifestyle, a kid from Ohio via California moves to Costa Rica in 2008. There I found, Pura Vida… Life without the white noise. Three years later I meet the love of my life, a local Costa Rican hotty, and a match in the jungle-heaven is made.
July 2011 rolls around and life is beautiful. Rainy season has begun and the yard is full of chili plants. Our friend, aka “The Old Timer” is a wily old man who visits C.R. a few times a year and makes sure to sprinkle pepper seeds all over the garden without telling anyone. He returns months later to find plants full of his special seeds… that year in particular the garden had 20 plants booming with peppers!
Mango season was also in full swing… So many that the local monkeys and I had a hard time eating them all. To avoid wasting any, the sauce of choice in the kitchen was a mango chutney, a crowd favorite during football season. One day, curiosity brought a new method of making hot sauce… We grabbed some peppers from the garden, mangos from the trees and started to cook. “OG Mango Caliente” was born! It was time to name our new sauce baby and we mashed up two powerful Spanish words, “Rico” which means rich and delicious and “Picante” which means hot and spicy. Spanglish anyone?
August’s football preseason was upon us and our neighbors thought Ricante was an instant hit! Soon more and more people heard about the home brewed OG Mango Caliente sauce… Requests came from local restaurants, orders grew, new recipes were developed and by the end of September we had 4 of the 5 recipes of the Awesomeness Collection!
October 2011, Ricante Cevicheria was opened in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. A little cantina serving fresh ceviche, cold beer and Ricante sauces. Pairing different ceviches with Ricante Sauce was a perfect launching ground for us. People from all over the world visit Tamarindo, and they got to try Ricante and buy some bottles to take home with them.
In 2012, Ricante made the jump to the the U.S. market. Splash!… the word was spreading. Select Markets around the country had Ricante on tap… let the grind begin.
Fast-forward to 2020, we have nationwide distribution in Costa Rica and over 1,000+ locations in the USA. You can find us in Safeway in NorCal + Portland and Whole Foods Market’s nationwide!
The message is clear… The world demands more from their condiments! La Revolucion Del Sabor (aka The Flavor Revolution) has begun! Ricante is here to fill the flavor void in a ketchup, mustard and nonsense condiments world.
Pura Vida,
Royce + the Ricante Team
