The full text search engine also allows you to generate a list of companies that match your interest, but is slower than the Excite search. You can either type the name of the product or service you are looking for, the name of the company or any other keyword that takes you to your target. If you put multiple words, choose the appropriate boolean ("AND" or "OR") and define whether you want your search to be case sensitive or not.

You can also search by industrial sector; in this case, you can access the companies on ten separate pages classified according to the International Standard Industrial Classification system ISIC, and in their particular subsector they are grouped in alphabetical order under their main product or service. For instance, if you are looking for Costa Rican companies that produce shoes, you would start at the sector 32 Textiles and leather, then go to 3240 Footwear and accessories and from there to Footwear. When you get there, you can click on the name of the company to see its data. In case you are looking for a company that you know by name, you may want to use the "Find" command on your browser (under "Edit"). Companies are listed only once so if the particular company you are looking for produces a diverse range of products, you may have to do some looking around.

Click on the sector of your interest to find the company you are looking for:

Once you have found the company you are interested in and it has e-Mail, you can contact it by a simple click on its e-Mail address. Unfortunately, most companies in Costa Rica do not have e-Mail yet, so you will have to resort to your fax machine (if you are worried about the costs of international faxing, you can check out the low-cost international faxing option faxaway). Remember that the Costa Rican country code is 506.

If you can’t find the company you are interested in, you can contact Ms. Sergio Navas, Commercial Information Officer at the Costa Rican Exporters Chamber. You can also phone CADEXCO at 506 258-5878 or send a fax: 506 223-0511.

If you are interested in forming an alliance or joint venture with a Costa Rican company, please contact Mr. Roberto López at the Technology Management Center of Costa Rica called CEGESTI, e-Mail: cegesti@sol.racsa.co.cr, tel. 506 2808511, fax 506 2802494.