When life gives you lemons… Sell your house and move to India.
It all began when ViVerde founder Gerard lost his tech job in Portland, Oregon in 2012. Instead of finding another cubicle, Diane and Gerard decided to sell their home and cars and volunteer around the world. They started off in Southern India, where their elder daughter Amelie was studying natural farming. Their stay in India opened their eyes to how many travelers were hungry to live a simpler, more natural life. They met so many who were seeking new ways to live and interact with the world around them, one that didn’t put their own needs and desires above other beings.
One day over breakfast while volunteering in Northern Thailand, they started dreaming about opening their own inspirational farm.
“What if we could become a center where young people from all over the world could learn how to plant, cook, build and commune more naturally?”
“What would humanity be like if more people experienced a culture and lifestyle starkly different than their own?” they wondered.
“Could we pull this off?”
Mustering their courage, and suffering from some sleepless nights, they dove in. Wanting a location fairly close to the U.S., they followed a tip to Granada, Nicaragua. Once they toured the 15-acre farm property right outside the charming colonial city, they knew they had found somewhere special. They knew they had found ViVerde.
Of course, Diane and Gerard are no strangers to a more natural life. The two met in West Africa, while Diane was serving as an American Peace Corps volunteer and Gerard was teaching math as a French volunteer. They got married and moved to France where they had daughters Amelie and Brett, adults now, who are farm to table experts and help run ViVerde’s farm and programs. Hardcore do-it-yourselfers, they all love the daily challenge of designing and constructing beautiful, useful things to make the farm playful, vibrant, and eco-friendly.
Diane Laughter
Co-Owner and Director of the project, Diane is an American with a lifetime of living abroad including West Africa, France, India, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. She loves growing things, creating arts and crafts, and everything DIY. Her Masters in Public Health led to a career full of community activism, advocacy, public education, and mentoring of many young professionals. She WWOOFed at a number of farms and completed her permaculture design certification (PDC) in 2016 at renowned Rancho Mastatal in Costa Rica. She recently returned there to attend a natural plasters workshop.
Gerard Rousseau
Co-Owner and Director of the project, Gerard is French, a mechanical engineer with extensive design and building experience. He has lived in the same places as Diane plus Morocco and Mexico. Building the family home in Portland, Oregon and renovating a number of rental properties, Gerard learned a host of DIY skills, including electrical, plumbing, and fine woodworking. Here at ViVerde, he is leveraging his technical experience to help develop the infrastructure, apply engineering solutions to everyday problems, and teach others how to do the same. He speaks English, Spanish, and French fluently. He is always looking to improve his skills. For example, he took an intensive timber frame building course at Ranch Mastatal in Costa Rica.
Brett Rousseau
Brett has spent several months per year at ViVerde since 2014; she was responsible for the finca’s initial permaculture design. She has a degree in Environmental Studies, spent 9 months as a farm intern at the Heifer International headquarters in Arkansas, worked as a naturalist educator in California, and has done plenty of WWOOFing in France, Senegal, Ireland, and Costa Rica. She completed her Permaculture Design Certification at Rancho Mastatal in 2014 and worked in New Zealand with a permaculture designer and nurseryman. She is now living in Sonoma County and working as a freelance gardener, specializing in fruit tree pruning. She loves to paint, create ceramics, do mosaics and now is working with an expert, learning to weld.
Amelie Rousseau
Amelie is a nutritionist, urban farmer and culinary arts teacher. Based in Portland, OR, Amelie teaches whole foods cooking in schools, prisons, and offices. Upon completion of her Masters in Nutrition, she recently traveled across China as a chef educator, promoting the benefits of a plant-based diet for our health and the environment. Amelie’s life mission is reconnecting youth and adults to their food sources for a happier and healthier life. If you are interested in hosting a food and farm event or sponsoring a rejuvenating group trip to ViVerde, reach out at amelie.c.rousseau@gmail.com
Mark Ogren
After graduating with degrees in Hispanic Studies and Biology, Mark traveled extensively throughout Latin America including Costa Rica, Nicaragua,Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. He took the timber framing course at Rancho Mastatal with Gerard. After completing his PDC at Maya Mountain Research Farm in Belize, he did the planning of our newest water management system. Mark did three seasons as a “Hot Shot” wild land fire fighter in northern California. Now Sonoma County he works with and learns alongside a Certified Forester. He is a bonafide soccer fanatic and enjoyed running the six mile loop from ViVerde to the rim of the laguna, to the edge of Granada, and back up our road.
Our Wonderful Nicaraguan Staff
Juan
Juan has been with us since the beginning (2014). He works on many things including lots of swale digging, taking care of the chickens, plants and trees. making adobes and biochar, and much more.
Raul
Raul is a very skilled woodworker who has been with us since October 2019. He can do anything with wood, make and repair fine furniture, mill the wood for and create beautiful louvered doors, construct with round timbers, and more. We are always adding new tools to our shop so our capabilities and his are growing. We are lucky to have him!
Claudia
Claudia has lots of experience as a professional cleaner and keeps the whole place shiny & organized. She often helps with processing our crops and other food prep.