Manual Salvador Villamizar, now 60 years old, started producing coffee at the ripe age of 17. Having already been in the business for many years, Manual and his wife, Alba, went ahead and purchased Finca La Esmeralda in 1998. La Esmeralda is located in the Labateca municipality of Norte de Santander which lies on the North Eastern border between Colombia and Venezuela. This has been a very dangerous place to live and grow coffee over the past 5 decades, but the soil and climate in the area is fantastic for cultivating crops which is what makes it an especially important place for us to build relationships that will yield the best coffee. Although, it also made it a battle ground for revolutionary groups and narcos hoping to use the fertile environment to cultivate coca for process and export. The group of farmers who we work with in the area have worked hard to maintain their ability to grow coffee in the area and the reward is a range of unique and delicious coffees. At the time the small amount of land that made up Finca La Esmeralda was in bad shape. Dotted with some old coffee plants of the Typica variety, the farm was in need of some serious restoration. Nevertheless, Manual was inspired and determined and with the support of the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros, he decided to renovate part of the land and cultivate Roya Resistant varieties. Since then, Manual has planted both the Colombian and Castillo varieties, which has allowed him to increase the productivity of his farm, therefore making it a more profitable business.