In this episode of the Nosara Podcast, Charlotte, the founder of Donitas, shares her journey of building a unique business in Nosara, Costa Rica. Moving from Switzerland, she talks about how she unexpectedly fell in love with the area and decided to open a donut shop without prior experience. Her story is a testament to the power of community, resilience, and the willingness to learn through challenges… but Rich just cares about one thing: “What is your favorite donut”, so they go into that as well!
Go get some super fresh donuts right now at Donitas in North Guiones, opposite to Mini Super las Delicias del Mundo where the food trucks are. (Editors’ favorite are the salted honey latte & cinnamon sugar donut)
DONITAS INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/donitas.nosara?stkn=cGtnNDUxcTY0djdl
We discuss:
• The challenges and rewards of starting a business in Nosara
• How the local community acts as a support system
• Embracing the “Nosara” lifestyle despite extreme weather
• Turning failures into opportunities for growth
• The importance of gratitude in entrepreneurship
• Building meaningful connections with neighbors and customers
• Balancing professional goals with personal well-being
• Her favorite local ingredients and, of course, the best treats to order
Full Transcript
Rich: Welcome to the podcast. It’s a long time coming. I’m excited to have the first doughnut shop ever on the podcast.
Charlotte: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity.
Rich: I love donuts. And when you opened, do you remember I was like the first person who smiled and frowned in the same moment? I love donuts. So, tell us who you are and what is going on. Thank you so much for not bringing donuts, because I would be eating them all right now.
Charlotte: I actually feel really bad for not bringing some, but it was a rushed morning, so I will bring you some tomorrow. I am Charlotte, 31, turning 32 on Monday. I have been here since 2021. Originally from Switzerland, I was born in Geneva and grew up between Geneva and the mountains. As soon as I graduated high school, I started traveling as much as I could. I think I’ve been to 36 countries now.
Rich: Was it because it was so cold, or did you just need to get out of there?
Charlotte: I love the cold, surprisingly, even though I live here. It is customary in Switzerland to take a gap year after high school before you start university. I took a year and a half. I started law school and hated every second of it. I am not a very book-smart person. Then I started hospitality school and graduated in 2020 from EHL, a fancy hospitality school in Switzerland.
Rich: Okay.
Charlotte: I originally had no interest in this industry, but I kind of fell in love with it. I love the hands-on part and the creative side. I just love being around people all day. That school also gave me a lot of opportunities to travel. I spent eight months in the Maldives and eight months in Singapore. It really opened up my mind in terms of food and what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, which I thought would be more corporate than what I am doing now.
Rich: You went the opposite of that. You seem like you have an artist’s angle, but you’re also very matter-of-fact. I’ve known you for years now and see you daily. You seem very pragmatic and calculated. And then when you opened the doughnut shop in Nosara, it fits you, but it also doesn’t at the same time.
Charlotte: I realized when I got to Costa Rica, which was completely random—I was working in Washington D.C. for the Swiss embassy—that I just stayed here when the pandemic started. I fell in love with the place. I love extreme places. I’ve always loved remote places and environments that are a bit rough. I like that every day is an adventure. Sometimes you want to bang your head against the wall because nothing is working, but it’s part of why I love this place. I think life is pretty short, and I want to make the most out of every second. This place hands you stories.
Rich: Let’s go straight into the donut shop. Tell me a few stories.
Charlotte: I was going to open a street seafood place and I started making donuts to put something sweet on the menu. I went down the rabbit hole because I get obsessive. I started handing them out to friends and people said, “Can you please open a doughnut shop?” We changed our minds two weeks before we were supposed to open, and I had never done donuts before. My first two weeks of opening in high season, my coffee machine broke. I have so many people that have contributed to this project. My friends at Sunrise lent me their coffee machine for a week. They don’t have to do those things, but this place is special.
Rich: Community is the number one bonding factor. When things go wrong, it comes together.
Charlotte: It amazes me. People ask why I stayed here, because there are pretty beaches and cool places to surf all around the world. But the people make the space special. My friend Tati from Scarpetta let me use her coffee machine. My friend Juan helped me fix mine. We are all in the same boat, and there is space for everyone.
Rich: You’ve learned to take a punch in business.
Charlotte: Growth comes out of discomfort. In the moment, it doesn’t feel great, but when you have a second to think about it, you realize you learned something new. I’m an impatient person, and I can be demanding, but I have learned to work on that.
Rich: I appreciate you being open about the negatives. Do you have any messages for the community?
Charlotte: I’m really grateful. We opened May 17th last year. People in this community have supported the project from day one. They have been patient because our product has evolved. I’ve gotten a lot of honest feedback, which made us who we are now. We focused on new equipment, then on drinks, and finally on hiring a team. I wanted to know the work myself before I asked a team to do it.
Rich: What is your favorite donut?
Charlotte: I’m a classics girl, so I really love the cinnamon sugar. When it comes out warm and has that crunch, it’s my favorite. The OG classic glaze is a best-seller, as is the chocolate sea salt and passion fruit. For drinks, our honey salt latte is the bestseller. I use so much local honey. All my money goes into honey!
Rich: Where do people find you?
Charlotte: We are located right behind Mini Super Las Delicias. We’re here every day from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except for Tuesday.
Rich: Any final words for the surfers?
Charlotte: I don’t feel like I’m good enough to criticize anyone in the lineup, but for etiquette: don’t be a jerk.
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