Joe Bernini was born and raised in Costa Rica and belongs to the third generation of a family whose roots in the country date back to the late 19th century, when his great-grandfather immigrated from Italy and settled in Heredia.
He began his career in tourism as the manager of a remote eco-lodge on the shores of Golfo Dulce near Corcovado National Park. During five formative years there, he gained extensive firsthand experience in the lowland rainforest while exploring nearby protected areas and learning about the region’s ecosystems and traditional uses of tropical plants.