Emery Foods LLC is a small business in Battle Creek, Michigan, that was formed by Filiberto Villa Gomez, to grow, process, and market vegetables and fruit products produced in the fields of SW Michigan and to help small farmers sell and process their products in small quantities. Filiberto grew up growing diverse traditional crops with his parents in Mexico. Filiberto has spent the past 15 years farming, working with and teaching Spanish speaking Indigenous farmers in SW Michigan to help strengthen their businesses and agricultural practices.

He also works for Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) as the Spanish Speaking Program Director. Filiberto works extensively with MSU and the Julian Samora Research Institute to carry out agriculture research and to teach Spanish language technical courses for farmers in the U.S. and Mexico.

Filiberto’s passion is growing and processing Indigenous foods such as corn, beans, and squash. He works hard to provide local markets with traditional Indigenous foods grown in the community, and to preserve the seeds, agricultural techniques, and cultural food ways of the Indigenous people of Mexico.