Jim Costello

Chairman, Board of Directors ~ Tukã Norte, Inc.
Treasurer, Board of Directors ~ Tukã S.A.

With a B.S. in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Oklahoma State, Jim joined his family’s restaurant equipment supply business as a “pots and pans salesman.” But his entrepreneurial spirit took over and for the last 40+ years he has been both developer and principal in a number of specialty, retail, office and self-storage projects. He currently owns (with long-term investors) and operates 600,000 SF of commercial space with over 4,500 tenants. Previously the Managing Partner of Martini & Prati Wines in the Russian River Valley, Jim developed the original business structure and raised the seed money for Kosta Browne Wines, the first Pinot Noir to earn the coveted Wine of the Year award from Wine Spectator. From 2002 until 2011, Jim played an integral role in the formation of the six-member partnership that raised just under $200 million for the purchase, permitting, infrastructure improvements, and initial construction and development of the Chileno Bay Golf and Beach Club in Los Cabos, Mexico (see www.chilenobayclub.com). Jim has since traded his daily coffee for yerba mate and co-founded the Tukã companies to build on Pedro Caballero’s dream of popularizing yerba mate throughout the world.