Our Story


My wife and I learned about the Cayapas region of Ecuador through the mission trips that we took to the area from 2007 – 2015.  We developed strong relationships with many people in Pichiyacu and the surrounding villages in the Esmeraldas province during these years.  In 2016, we both took a 4-month leave of absence from our regular jobs (nursing for her, software engineering for me), and we spent that summer with our four children in the village of Pichiyacu.


The Cayapas region is a relatively poor area of Ecuador.  There are no roads; villages lie mostly along the Onzole and Cayapas rivers.  Transportation is by canoe – large or small – with most powered by a 15 or 40 HP outboard motor.  Aside from teaching in a government-funded school, there are no jobs in the area.  Most people are subsistence farmers who grow plantains, yuca, pineapples, coconuts, or other fruit.  Chickens are raised for eggs and meat, and anything harvested that is not consumed is sold at the nearest town, where that money is used to buy other necessities such as rice, cooking oil, soap, or clothes.


One of the more difficult challenges that we faced as we lived in Pichiyacu that summer was the surrounding poverty.  We received requests nearly every day for financial assistance with medicine, travel, school supplies, etc.  We realized that we could not afford to provide for the needs of everyone – and we felt as though long-term that would not be beneficial even if we could.  After reading the book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor, we concluded that the best way to provide long-term help was not through handouts, but rather by providing opportunities for employment.


The question quickly became, “What jobs can we provide?”  We considered the talents of the people and the natural resources of the area.  We learned that the Cayapas region is one of the prime locations in the world for growing fine-flavored cacao.  So, as our summer of 2016 in Pichiyacu ended, we bought 175 acres of land and set out to be the best cacao farmers we could be – with the goal of providing employment for as many people as possible.


Today we grow two crops on our farm: cacao and peppercorns (Piper nigrum).  We are still new to farming and have a lot to learn, but our knowledge has grown significantly over the last few years as we have drawn from the experience of local workers, government and university guidance, books, hundreds of internet articles, and old-fashioned trial-and-error.

Our Approach


Our goal is to provide work opportunities in an area with little economic development.  With this primary purpose in mind, we have adopted the following practices:


We focus on doing things "the right way" with the end-goal of developing quality products.


  • Doing things the right way means we don't take shortcuts.  We care for plants, equipment, and employees - going beyond what's required, even if that comes with a financial cost.
  • This approach increases job satisfaction, as workers understand that their work is about more than wages; they enjoy being a part of something bigger than themselves.  They are building a lasting enterprise where their children may work one day as well.
  • By creating the highest-quality products, customer needs are met, and the customer satisfaction is essential to our vision.  Without customers, there would be no farm!


We exceed all "fair trade" practices.


  • We pay workers every week, and their wages exceed the government's set minimum wage.
  • We strive to maintain a fun, "start-up" atmosphere, with company shirts, watches, hats, and other gifts as milestones during a worker's first 200 days.
  • All workers receive a raise after 200 days on the job and another at 400 days.
  • We are constantly looking to develop new leaders for management roles on the farm as it grows.

Our History


2016

We purchased land and began preparing to plant a few acres of Ecuador's Nacional fine-flavor variety of cacao trees.


2017

With 8 workers we planted 15 acres of cacao early in the year to coincide with the rainy season (January - June) in order to give the saplings as many months of rain as possible.  However, a fierce (and highly unusual) drought in April cost us nearly half of those young trees!


2018

The workforce grew to 16 farmworkers as we planted more cacao trees to replinish the ones lost in the previous year, and we added 8 acres of pepper (Piper nigrum).  We also mapped out plans for an irrigation system to avoid future losses and maximize production.


2019

With 31 employees in 2019, we planted an additional 42 acres of pepper and the irrigation system was installed.  With expenses running high, we celebrated when our initial harvest for both the cacao and pepper came in mid-year, but the low local prices in Ecuador threaten the viability of this project.  We need to export!