1 6 8 , 0 0 0 ▁standing ▁people . ▁ ▁Col te jer ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁E ch av arr ía ▁family ▁were ▁the ▁found ers ▁of ▁two ▁text ile ▁companies , ▁Col te jer ▁and ▁Fab ric ato , ▁and ▁were ▁also ▁involved ▁in ▁coffee ▁export ation ▁and ▁import ation ▁of ▁other ▁goods . ▁In ▁ 1 9 0 7 , ▁Ale j andro ▁E ch av arr ía ▁decided ▁to ▁import ▁four ▁power ▁lo oms , ▁which ▁he ▁put ▁to ▁work ▁along ▁with ▁twelve ▁workers ▁in ▁the ▁pat io ▁of ▁his ▁coffee - processing ▁plant . ▁This ▁was ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁Col te jer . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁De pression ▁era , ▁Col te jer ▁bought ▁disc arded ▁lo oms ▁cheap ly ▁from ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁that ▁were ▁brought ▁in ▁on ▁m ule back . ▁During ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁Col te jer ▁was ▁operating ▁some ▁ 7 0 , 0 0 0 ▁sp ind les ▁and ▁ 1 , 9 0 0 ▁lo oms , ▁employ ing ▁ 4 , 0 0 0 ▁workers ▁in ▁its ▁Med ell in ▁plant ▁in ▁addition ▁to ▁those ▁at ▁En v ig ado . ▁ ▁Production ▁Col te jer ' s ▁prof its ▁increased ▁by ▁a ▁factor ▁of ▁twenty ▁between ▁ 1 9 4 0 ▁and ▁ 1 9 4 9 , ▁from ▁ 8 3 0 , 0 0 0 ▁pes os ▁to ▁ 1 6 , 5 2 0 , 0 0 0 . ▁ ▁Col te jer ▁has ▁a ▁total