Fruitarian community, eco-village, and fruit forest in Costa-Rica
Pura Fruta has evolved from a vision that we humans must be able to create a simpler, healthier, and more spiritually connected life for ourselves, a life that nourishes our souls, our hearts and our bodies. Instead of seeing the Earth as a resource to be ruthlessly exploited, we are committed to living in harmony with nature and the wild beings around us, sharing with them and accepting our advanced role as caretakers of this beautiful planet.
In our project vision we aim to: help each other to grow together in profound respect to ourselves, each other and Mother Earth. create a caring, safe environment free from intentional suffering or killing, consumption of drugs, chemicals or harmful products for our bodies or the environment. Cultivate and care for a permaculture based fruit forest, in order to create food self-sufficiency in the shortest time possible.
Co-create with nature a place where we can live in harmony and simplicity.Become an example of how to live in a truly sustainable way. We are bringing our vision to life through sharing sessions of our emotions and challenges; our passions and knowledge; through work-playing together, caring for each other and supporting each other through our stages of growth.
If you share our vision and would like to learn more about us please read on to discover how you can become a part of Pura Fruta. Come and learn how a simpler, peaceful, more joyful and connected life is possible.
Note: Yes, we are currently accepting volunteers.
Want to learn about permaculture and volunteer your time to a worthy cause?
If you’re interested in coming, please fill out the Volunteer Questionnaire here.
If you want to stay long-term as a resident/community member, you must start by first volunteering for two months. After that you may become a resident, and after 4 months as a resident, you may become a community member. Note that at any point during this process, you have the opportunity to buy land in the community and start your own homestead.
Read more about the differences between being a Guest, Trainee, Co-Creater (volunteer), Master, and being a community member, here.
If you would rather volunteer remotely, read more here.
We are a permaculture fruit forest project in the Carribean coast of Costa Rica! Our goal is to be a successful example for other farms in the area to trust in sustainable methods of farming. We already produce many bananas, rollinias, papayas, and other fruits, and are currently planting dozens of varieties of exotic fruits from all around the world!
Volunteer: Permaculture Education Program. We offer a volunteer program where you receive a comprehensive permaculture education. This is a great opportunity to learn about tropical fruit growing and sustainable permaculture techniques for growing your food.
We only accept volunteers who are vegan, as this is a vegan community. We also only accept volunteers who have experience in / are interested in a raw food diet, and are able to mostly abstain from cooked foods, and consume primarily raw foods while they are here, as this is another important community value of ours. Usually volunteers and residents here are eating all raw foods.
Volunteers…
Some don’t have a problem with bugs, but some newcomers to the area are bitten by gnats/no-see-ums heavily. There are not many mosquitoes. You may wish to bring a mosquito net which is sufficient for no-see-ums. The gnats like ankles and wrists, and the majority of bites can be avoided by simply wearing long sleeves and socks during the times of day that they come out (early morning, early evening, during/after a rain). Natural essential oils are effective (such as citronella, lemongrass, etc) The temperature here is comfortable enough to wear long sleeves during that time with no issue.
We have a limited number of foam mattresses, but you should bring your own blanket/sleeping bag + sleeping pad. Most of the time people will stay in tents. You must bring a tent as all of the available bedrooms and cabins are usually full.
You may rent a tent and foam camping pad from us for $1/night during your volunteer stay, if you do not wish to bring your own. In this case, you must still provide your bedding (sleeping bag, blanket, etc.)
While we like to hope that everyone is responsible, on rare occasions, people break things and do not offer to replace them, or steal things when they leave. To prevent community loss, we charge a $100 security deposit to any newcomer. You receive this deposit back when you leave. If you stay less than one month, you will get $50 back when you leave, and the remaining $50 will be considered a donation.
Work generally falls into one of these categories:
Agriculture/Permaculture – Planting trees, maintaining trees, clearing weeds by hand and with machete, mulching, planting, pruning, vegetable garden work.
Nursery work – tending to baby trees/plants in the nursery
Group work will take place from Monday to Friday.
Construction of eco-buildings – Outhouses, cabins, et cetera.
Above-listed group activities with instruction and guidance.
Planting tour – learn about different fruits we are growing and their companion plants
Permaculture technique tour – Walk around and see our techniques in action.
Biochar Workshop – Make your own biochar and learn about its magic.
Curated instructional videos – We’ve selected (and made) some videos on permaculture topics that will give you the foundation of knowledge you need to get started.