Know Your Farmer
Name: Jose Thomas Villanueva
Age: 56
Product: Mango
Location: Quebrada Onda, Nicaragua
About: Since 2007, Jose has served on Sol Simple's internal safety and quality team for mango farms. During that time, he has also worked with other groups to help them become registered cooperatives and pass the organic certification processes. Jose is known as the "Faithful Farmer" for his commitment to both farmers and his community. When he is not in the fields, Jose volunteers at a local organization that helps children who are battling cancer
Name: Claudia Jemalario
Age: 31 years old
Product: Dragon Fruit
Family: 2 siblings (1 brother, 1 sister) and 2 children (son, daughter)
Location: Los Velasquez, Nicaragua
About: Before working with Sol Simple as a dragon fruit farmer, Claudia was subject to long hours and stressful working conditions. Through Sol Simple, she has been able to improve her quality of life and spend more time with her children. She hopes to continue working with Sol Simple so that someday she can pass down the land to her son and daughter. 
Name: Alejandro de la Cruz
Age: 79
Product: Dragon Fruit & Pineapple
Family: 7 siblings. 6 children (4 sons, 2 daughters)
Location: Los Velasquez, Nicaragua
About: Alejandro draws his inspiration from the lessons taught by his parents. He says that from a young age, he worked hard to provide for his family and overcome obstacles. Alejandro is proud of the land he owns and the family he has raised being a Sol Simple dragon fruit and pineapple farmer.
Name: Guillermo Moreno
Age: 39
Product: Dragon Fruit
Family: 6 siblings (3 brothers, 3 sisters) and 3 sons
Location: Los Velasquez, Nicaragua
About: Prior to being a dragon fruit farmer, Guillermo was helping his parents by selling hygiene products in a local market. One day, Guillermo's parents were able to acquire some fertile land in the small town of Los Velazquez and decided to become farmers. Since then, Guillermo has carried on his family legacy and hopes to continue doing so long into the future.
Name: Idalia Margarita Ruíz Rodriguez
Age: 21
Product: Mango
Family: Niece of Julio Rodriguez (right)
Location: Diriomito, Nicaragua
About: As a mango farmer, Idalia is relatively new and will admit she is still learning the tricks of the trade. However, she is no stranger to the mango cooperative itself. Idalia is not only a committed farmer, but also the official secretary and a member of the group's education committee.
Name: Julio Rodriguez
Age: 74
Product: Mango
Family: 3 daughters, 1 niece
Location: Diriomito, Nicaragua
About: Julio has spent all 74 years of his life in the community of Diriomoto and has no interest in moving any time soon because he loves the people and is proud of his land. He works the land of mango trees with his wife, daughters, and niece, Idalia (previous profile). Julio is very involved in the formation of new cooperatives and is a member of Sol Simple's internal inspection and safety group (SIC).
Name: Magdele de Jesus Moreno Lopez
Age: 27
Product: Dragon Fruit
Family: 5 siblings (3 brothers, 2 sisters) and a 5-year-old daughter
Location: Los Velasquez, Nicaragua
About: Although Magdele is considered a young farmer, she is dedicated to her trade of farming dragon fruit and wants to make sure that she can pass down her land and skillset to her daughter.
Name: Manuel Garcia
Age: 32
Products: Dragon Fruit & Pineapple
Location: Los Velasquez, Nicaragua
About: Fernando loves everything about farming dragon fruit and pineapple and explains to us that the time dedicated to planning and planting is only part of his commitment to producing the highest quality fruit. He also meticulously cleans and examines each piece of fruit by hand and is responsible for coordinating and executing the deliveries and pickups of the harvested crops for many farmers in the area.
Name: Manesio Moreno Ganda
Age: 80
Product: Dragon Fruit
Family: 9 siblings (5 brothers, 4 sisters) and 10 children
Location: Los Velasquez, Nicaragua
About: Even though Manesio didn’t start working with organic dragon fruit until he was 35 years old, he is truly a master farmer. In his 45-year career as a farmer, Manesio has some dragon fruit plants that are 40 years old and still producing fruit.
Name: Jose Colino Mercado Flores
Age: 40
Product: Dragon Fruit
Family: 6 siblings (4 brothers 2 sisters) and 6 children
Location: San Juan de la Concepción, Nicaragua
About: One of the founding members of the Panama Cooperative (the oldest cooperative working with Sol Simple), Jose lives and works with his brothers and sisters who also helped establish the co-op. For Jose, farming is not just a job; it is a way for his family to spend time together and continue to strengthen their personal relationships.
Name: Javier Norori & Orlando Blas
Edades: Javier, 57 and Orlando, 59
Products: Dragon Fruit & Pineapple
Location: La Conceptión de Masaya, Nicaragua
About: Javier and Orlando switched to organic farming about 4 years ago. They are very pleased with the crops and happy to be a part of the cooperative working with Sol Simple. Orlando admits that organic farming is very demanding, but knows that the farmers and consumers are no longer exposed to harmful pesticides and chemicals that damage the earth.
Name: Enrique Lopez Hernandez
Age: 60
Product: Dragon Fruit
Family: 6 siblings
Location: Laguna de Masaya, Nicaragua
About: Enrique began his life as a farmer working with rice under the guidance of his father. His transition to fruit didn’t come until later in life after years of growing rice. Enrique aspires to continue saving money so that he may buy better farming equipment to help increase his yearly harvest.