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.

As adults, all four of us felt a pull to reconnect with Ecuador more deeply. Even while I spent my career working in technology and education leadership in the United States—designing systems, leading teams, and solving complex problems—there was always a part of me that knew my next chapter needed to be rooted in something more tangible, more connected to people and place.

During a recent career break, I finally had the space to explore that question honestly: If I started something from scratch, what would it be? The answer started to take shape on the other side of the Pacific.

A lifelong college friend, Matt Delany, now lives in Hawaii. His partner, Jacqueline “Jackie” Shen, is deeply involved in the specialty coffee scene there—a coffee sommelier and co-founder of a successful Kona coffee brand. Jackie invited me to spend a week with them in Hawaii, and that visit changed everything.

Matt and Jackie hosted me, and Jackie became my guide into specialty coffee. She didn’t just show me great cups; she walked me through the science behind the beans—varieties, fermentation, moisture and water activity, roasting, and extraction. She took me to my first formal cupping, introduced me to roasters and cafés across Hawaii, and showed me what a true farm-to-cup ecosystem looks like when everyone respects the producers at the center.

That week lit a fire. I came home determined to focus on coffee, and because of our family’s deep roots and relationships, the path naturally led back to Ecuador. Through our aunts, uncles, cousins, and even in-laws, I began meeting farmers and exporters, cupping their coffees, and learning their stories.

The more I learned about Ecuadorian coffee, the more I realized how overlooked it often is. Here is a country sitting on the equator—zero latitude—with high elevations, unique genetics like Sidra and Typica Mejorado, and producers who are pushing quality and experimentation. Yet many U.S. roasters rarely see Ecuador on their menus, or only as the occasional one-off.

I realized that if we didn’t help tell Ecuador’s coffee story, who would? So I reached out to my brothers, and together we decided to turn our shared passion and our family’s legacy into something bigger. Zero Latitude Coffee was born from that mission: to serve as a bridge between the producers we know and respect in Ecuador and the roasters who are eager to showcase distinctive, traceable coffees with a story.

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.