Since 2003, Diligent Energy Systems has been active on the market of biofuels. Founder Ruud van Eck started the company after successfully selling his own IT company. Soon, he established his first contacts in Tanzania. At the moment a large number of Tanzanian farmers provide Jatropha seeds to Diligent Energy Systems. They receive a fair price for this. From the oil-yielding seeds, Diligent produces straight vegetable oil and biodiesel. Since early 2005, Diligent Energy Systems is also active in Colombia. In this Southern-American country, bio-ethanol is being produced from leftovers of fruit and coffee production. The entire production is aimed at local markets