The story of Diamond Tropical Hardwoods grew out of a desire to help and serve others. Kevin and Christine Yardley met while both were studying at Harvard University. Upon graduating, the newlyweds volunteered to teach English for the WorldTeach organization in rural Costa Rica. Because there was no guarantee of them being stationed in the same area, Christine became a teacher in the program while Kevin began dedicating his prodigious energy to protecting the environment in an entrepreneurial way. Costa Rica had some of the fastest deforestation rates in the world, so there was a desperate need to offset this environmental destruction. Costa Rica’s biodiversity includes 5 percent of all known species in an area the size of West Virginia. The reforestation effort in Costa Rica has done a great deal of good.

In 1992, Diamond Tropical Hardwoods bought their first degraded cattle farm and began planting teak. In addition to farming teak, they have planted seventy other species including endangered native trees such as mahogany, purpleheart and cocobolo rosewood.  Today, their 12 plantations protect more than 1000 acres of primary and secondary jungle. The company has seen the impact of logging in the rainforest and the widespread harm that it produces. This is why Diamond Tropical Hardwoods adheres to strong principles and certifies their reforestation to be organic and sustainable.