About

A Family Story That Begins in the Heart of Ecuador

The story of Zero Latitude Coffee begins long before our company existed—over a century ago in Cuenca, Ecuador, where our great-grandmother Mercedes Crespo was born in 1900.

After the tragic loss of her father, Mercedes moved to Guayaquil as a single mother of eight daughters. Her strength, resilience, and devotion to family became the foundation of a lineage that would stretch across countries and generations.

One of those daughters, Dora Crespo Villacres, married businessman Luis Smith Villacres. Together they raised three children—Guillermo, Luis, and Norma—each of whom would go on to leave their mark on Ecuador.

• Guillermo became a respected lawyer and led the Law Department at La Universidad Católica.
• Luis built and operates Novacero—one of only two steel plants in all of Ecuador—and today supports over 1,200 Ecuadorian workers and multiple hotel ventures in Quito and Guayaquil.
• Norma, our mom, courageously began a new chapter when she emigrated to the United States in the 1960s, where she met Thomas Manolopoulos and built a family grounded in both Ecuadorian tradition and opportunity.

From Mercedes to Dorita to Norma—their courage and sacrifice shape everything we do.

From Passion to Purpose

Zero Latitude Coffee began long before we ever dreamed of importing beans. It began with stories told around our family table — stories of strong Ecuadorian women, of migration, of sacrifice, and of the deep roots that tie us back to a country that feels like home the moment we land there.

Even though my brothers and I grew up in Queens, NY, Ecuador was always alive in our house. It lived in the foods my tia Graciela cooked, in the music she played, in the way she spoke proudly of her mother (our great grandmother Mercedes)— two women who embodied resilience and heart. It lived in the way she raised us: with humility, gratitude, and a respect for where we came from.

As adults, we all felt a pull to reconnect with Ecuador more deeply. And somewhere along that journey, coffee became our doorway.

Not just any coffee — but the kind that grows on steep, volcanic slopes… bathed in misty mornings, complex microclimates, and a cultural heritage that still treats coffee as something sacred. The kind of coffee many Americans have never experienced, because Ecuadorian specialty coffee — despite being some of the finest in the world — is still rare and underrepresented in the U.S. market.

The turning point came for me when I began studying coffee more seriously. I partnered with Jacqueline Shen, a close friend, who opened my eyes to the world of sourcing, roasting, cupping, and the global specialty coffee movement. As we dove deeper, something clicked: Ecuador has everything — altitude, microclimates, soil, innovation, passionate producers — but what it didn’t yet have was a strong bridge into the U.S. specialty green coffee world.

I realized that if we didn’t help tell Ecuador’s coffee story, who would?

So I reached out to my brothers, and the four of us — William, Aristotle, Alexander, and myself — decided to turn our shared passion into something bigger. We wanted a way to honor our ancestors, reconnect with our heritage, and help elevate the small Ecuadorian producers whose coffees deserve to be known and celebrated.

Zero Latitude Coffee was born from that mission.

Today, we work hand-in-hand with farmers across Ecuador — from Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe to Imbabura and Pichincha — sourcing micro-lots, experimental processes, heirloom varietals, and washed classics directly from the people who grow them. We focus on transparency, long-term partnership, and fair pricing that reflects the true value of their craft.

Our goal is simple:
To bring the world’s attention to Ecuador’s extraordinary specialty coffees, while honoring the family legacy and cultural roots that shaped us.

What started as a personal family journey has become a mission-driven company with heart. Zero Latitude Coffee isn’t just about beans — it’s about identity, lineage, and the belief that when you stay connected to where you come from, you can build something meaningful for where you’re going.

Why Ecuador. Why Zero Latitude.

Ecuador sits directly on the equator—zero latitude—where altitude, volcanic soil, and diverse microclimates give rise to coffees with unmatched character.

We focus on Ecuador exclusively so we can go deeper with every relationship, every farm, and every lot.

• Single-Origin Focus: Only Ecuadorian coffees, sourced lot-by-lot from dedicated producers.
• Producer-First: Transparent pricing, meaningful relationships, and respect for each farmer’s craft.
• Roaster Ready: Clean, traceable, well-processed green coffee prepared for your profile and your standards.