They used the plantation as an educational tool, a fund-raising project (to provide scholarships and employment for local youth), and a tourist destination.
At his 1988 retirement from Marquette University,[3] Thompson and his wife traveled to the small town of San Lorenzo de Cubo, 7 km southwest of Antigua Guatemala.
They created small artisanal bags of coffee, selling them to shops in town, shipping them to the States, and giving tours to tourists.
They learned of soil composition, harvesting, processing and roasting coffee; observed the art of orchid growing; and toured gardens with over 150 different flowers, bushes and trees.
The new owners built on the foundation provided by the two decades of effort from the Thompsons, continuing the plantation's reputation as a combination resort/tourist-education site.