Our Team

¡Hola! My name is Magdalena Schuele and I am the designer, founder and creator of Marveca Beachwear.  Over the past few years, thanks to our clients, Marveca has grown from a one woman show, into a thriving beachwear business with products handmade in Costa Rica. We are passionate about supporting our local community and giving jobs to single moms in Jacó Beach, Costa Rica.

My husband Mauricio and I have expanded our family with our outstanding seamstresses Elena and Elida, our multitalented Laylin, and our store manager Indiana. We have also discovered a production plant in Palmares that will assist us with the sustainable creation of our handmade beachwear line. 

 

 

 Meet Mauricio

 

My husband, Mauricio, has always been supportive of my wildest dreams from the start. He is literally my door opener (since he still comes in every morning to open the store after 6+ years). But he not only opens physical doors; he also has facilitated many opportunities along the way towards launching my handmade swimwear business. Having deep ties in Jacó and Costa Rica, he knows the appropriate person for the task is just a phone call away. He is an investor and problem solver for Marveca. Today he works as a real estate agent for RE/MAX Oceanside Realty, but he likes to pop by the store and make sure everyone is satisfied.

 

 Meet Elena 

 

Elena is our team's longest member and our secret weapon. She came to us five years ago as a seamstress for a T-shirt company in Nicaragua. She was able to adjust and learned how to sew handmade beachwear. To this day, no custom swimsuit leaves the store without passing through her hands, as she is meticulous with incredible attention to detail. She works in our Jacó workshop and uses her earnings to support her mother in Nicaragua and her two daughters who reside with her in Costa Rica. We have fun stitching, drinking coffee, and eating pastries together in the mornings!

 

 

Meet Elida

 

Our second seamstress is Elida. She runs her own workshop from home. Marveca has given her sewing machines for her home, and she's in charge of keeping our store's shelves supplied with beachwear handmade in Costa Rica. She comes by once a week to pick up material that she then sews together at home. She is originally from Nicaragua, but has lived in Costa Rica for many years as a single mother; she resides in Playa Jacó with her daughter and grandson.

 

Meet Laylin

 

Laylin is our newest seamstress team member and the store's multitalented wonder-woman. She began as a sales assistant to assist our store manager Indiana on her days off. Then, when she learned that we needed more assistance with production, she offered to learn. So we are currently teaching her to cut and sew and preparing her for the upcoming high season. She will be assisting with the handmade beachwear production. During Indiana's days off, she still works as a sales assistant in the business. She, too, is a single mother who lives in Jacó with her mother, two sons, and a brother.

  

Meet Indiana
 

 

Indiana is our store manager and has been with a part of the team since 2022. We quickly saw that she has excellent organizational abilities and is highly proactive, both of which are rare in Costa Ricans. She is a true hidden gem in the jungle. Indiana is a natural salesperson who enjoys interacting with our customers by showing them around the store and assisting them in finding the perfect fit when finding the perfect custom swimsuit handmade in Costa Rica.

She ensures that everyone feels at ease and welcome from the moment they walk into the business. Indiana is originally from Cartago, a mountain province, but she moved to Jaco with her mother and daughter approximately two years ago since it was difficult to find work as a single mother in the town where she previously lived.

 

Our Beachwear Production - Handmade in Costa Rica

We began incorporating a beachwear line in addition to custom swimwear in 2021. However, our Jacó workshop did not have the capacity to produce clothing as well as handmade swimwear. So, we proceeded to look for a location that could assist us. We came across an announcement for a women's co-op, which is located in the Costa Rican mountain town of Palmares.

These ladies organized a women's collective sewing studio and now collaborate with us in the manufacturing of our beachwear line. In Jacó, we design and make the designs for each item, then send them to their sewing workshop, where they put everything together.

Thank you for shopping Marveca Beachwear - Handmade in Costa Rica