Franz Xaver Meier
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Franz Xaver Meier is 87 years old and lives on-site at Marenal full-time. He oversees property operations daily and guides the community's development. This is not a retirement project managed from a distance. Franz is present, active, and committed to seeing Marenal succeed.
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FROM WWII SURVIVOR TO VOLUNTARIST COMMUNITY BUILDER
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Franz was born in Munich, Bavaria, in 1939, 6 months before World War II began. He experienced the destruction and hardships of war, as well as the post-war reconstruction period. Those experiences shaped his rejection of aggression and his commitment to voluntary cooperation over coerced authority.
He resisted the military draft, refusing to participate in systems built on compulsion. That decision reflected principles he would study and refine over the next 5 decades.
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THE HOSPITALITY CAREER​
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Franz spent 50 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry in Europe and the USA. He served as Vice President of Food and Beverage at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, where he worked for 10 years for Charles Fraser, one of the first eco-community developers. In 1976, he moved to Charleston and, with his working partners, started several restaurant concepts that eventually employed over 300 people.
In 2010, the city of Charleston recognized Franz as one of 35 visionaries who shaped the city. His career demonstrated operational competence, long-term thinking, and the ability to build sustainable enterprises.
THE PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNEY
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During his business career, Franz studied political systems and economic theory. He read Ayn Rand and Objectivism. He studied Ludwig von Mises and Austrian Economics. He absorbed Murray Rothbard's work on voluntary society and anarcho-capitalism. But first and foremost he emphasizes that he was, and still is, a self-educated business man with only a high school education, endowed with a dose of common sense and reason. He is not an academic nor an intellectual.
In the late 1990s, after reading G. Edward Griffin's "The Creature from Jekyll Island," Franz concluded that a plan "B" was necessary. He observed the economic and political trajectory in the United States and Europe and decided to act on what he had learned over the decades that the best government is no government!
Franz's Network Affiliations:
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Mises Institute (Austrian economics research and education)
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Cato Institute (libertarian public policy research)
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Foundation for Economic Education (classical liberal education)
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Ron Paul networks (libertarian political and philosophical communities)
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The Atlas Society
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Students for Liberty
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The Reason Foundation
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The Humanist Society, and more.
He subscribes to and reads newsletters from such Freedom defenders as Tom Woods, Ron Paul, Jon Rappoport, Bill Bonner, and Doug Casey ‘The International Man’. These are not casual affiliations. Franz has maintained connections with them for decades.
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​If you have never heard of Rothbard, Mises, Hayek, Hoppe, or the Austrian school of economics, Marenal may not align with your philosophical outlook. Franz built this for people who understand these intellectual traditions and who want to live according to their principles.
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THE 24 YEAR PATH TO MARENAL
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2000: Purchased 55-acre property in Lake Arenal highlands
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2004: Bought a 350-acre cattle ranch next to Los Heroes, a Swiss village on Lake Arenal
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2022: Sold cattle ranch, used proceeds to fund Marenal infrastructure
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2024: Moved to Marenal full-time, main residence completed
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2026: Launched the Founding Partner opportunity
The gap between 2000 and 2022 is straightforward. While attending to his businesses in South Carolina, Franz was also raising beef cattle on his ranch in Costa Rica. The Marenal land had to take a back seat. When he sold the ranch in 2022, he had the time and the capital to develop Marenal.
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Everything you see at Marenal is paid for. No loans. No outside investors. No partners who might change the terms later. Franz maintains full control until his Marenal member-partners take over the development.
The Philosophical Foundation​​
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Marenal operates on 2 core principles: Voluntaryism and Sociocracy. If you want to know more about these concepts Franz recommends " The definitive guide to Libertarian Voluntaryism" by Jack V. Lloyd and the "Fundamentals of Voluntaryism" on www.voluntaryist.com. To learn more about Sociocracy Franz suggests "Sociocracy For All" by Ted Rau. When you meet Franz in person you can discuss these principles directly. What follows is a brief overview.
VOLUNTARIYSM
Voluntaryism holds that all human interactions must be based on voluntary consent, not on coercion, force, or aggression. This is not just a preference. This is a foundational principle.
At Marenal, voluntaryism means:
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No one forces you to participate in community activities
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No one imposes rules you did not consent to
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No one takes your property or dictates how to act without your agreement
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All your relationships and obligations are voluntary
If you believe governments can solve problems through coercion, taxation, and imposed authority, you will not align with our philosophy.
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SOCIOCRACY
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Sociocracy is a governance system based on consent, not majority vote. Consent is not consensus. Consensus means everyone agrees. Consent means no one has a principled objection that would prevent a decision from moving forward.
A principled objection is not "I don't like this" or "I prefer something else." A principled objection is "This decision would harm the community or me in this measurable way, and here's why."
Consent involves everyone. It works from the ground up, not from the top down, which is controlled by the few with money and power.
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How Consent-Based Governance Works:
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Proposal: Someone proposes a new solution to a perceived problem.
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Discussion: MPA members discuss and raise their concerns.
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Consent round: Each member is asked if they have a principled objection to the proposal.
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Outcome: If no objections are voiced, the decision proceeds. If someone objects, the proposal is explained again, modified, or withdrawn. If no consent can be reached after discussion and modifications, the proposal does not move forward. The status quo remains.
No voting. No majority rule. No forcing decisions over objections. This protects minority positions and prevents the tyranny of the majority.
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HOW THIS WORKS AT MARENAL
The Marenal Partner Association (MPA) operates on sociocratic principles. When 11 quotas are distributed, the MPA assumes control of all governance decisions through consent-based processes.
For details on Limited Liability and the MPA structure, quota distribution, and what the MPA controls, see the Property page.
OUR PRINCIPLES
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Marenal is guided by these principles:
1. Voluntary association: No one is forced to participate in anything.
2. Consent-based governance: Decisions require consent, not majority rule.
3. Property rights: Your lot is yours. No one can take it or dictate how you use it within the limits of Costa Rican law.
4. Self-governance: The MPA governs itself. No external authority dictates how we operate.
5. Long-term thinking: Marenal is built to last beyond Franz's lifetime.
6. Philosophical alignment: Marenal is for people who understand and value Austrian economics, libertarian thought, and voluntary society principles.
WHAT WE ARE BUILDING​
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Marenal was created to be a functional voluntaryist community based on consent and property rights.
We are building a community where:
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People govern themselves without coercion
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Property rights are respected absolutely
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Decisions are made by consent, not force
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Voluntary cooperation replaces mandatory compliance
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Philosophical alignment creates trust
WHAT WE ARE NOT BUILDING​
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Marenal is not:
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A utopian idea
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A commune
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A resort
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A democracy
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A community ruled by a Board of Directors with HOA-style imposed rules
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Marenal is not a place where everyone agrees on everything. It is a place where disagreement is managed through consent-based governance instead of voting or coercion. We support arbitration and restitution as means to correct injustices.
Photo Gallery
Panoramic View of Lake Arenal
Sunsets
Existing Houses
Views of Arenal Volcano
Traditional food
Fishing
Views of Marenal
SUCCESSION​​
Franz is 87. Succession is planned.
His son Xavier will oversee operations and finances. His daughter will advise on health, exercise, and nutrition. They will ensure that the MPA concept continues.
The MPA structure persists regardless of Franz's involvement. All contracts are honored. The legal framework is designed to outlast Franz. Founding partners are not buying into Franz's vision alone. They are buying into a governance they can influence and a structure that continues.
After Franz swims to the other side of the river (his way of saying goodbye to the world), Marenal will continue to grow and mature under his successors. That is the point.
Succession Protection:
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Property management team continues operations
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MPA governance structure remains intact
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All purchase agreements and contracts honored
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Legal framework persists independent of Franz
IS THIS FOR YOU?
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If you are familiar with Rothbard, von Mises, Hayek, Rand, and others who represent freedom, and you want to live in a community based on voluntary cooperation and consent-based governance, Marenal is built for you.
If you want to decide for yourself how to live, without imposed authority or coerced participation, Marenal is built for you.
If you value long-term thinking, philosophical alignment, and genuine pioneering over turnkey convenience, Marenal is built for you.