Costa Ricans had found themselves with no…

Costa Ricans had found themselves with no regular trade routes to get their coffee to European markets following independence.

This is compounded by transportation problems: the coffee-growing areas are on the Pacific Coast, and ships from Europe have to sail around Cape Horn in order to get to the Pacific Coast.

This is overcome in 1843, when a regular trade route is established with the help of William Le Lacheur, a Guernsey merchant and shipowner.