Panama Hat Company of St. Augustine is part of San Agust n Import-Export, Inc, a family-owned Florida corporation specializing in Panama Hats. It has been in business since 1985 in St. Augustine, Florida. Consuelo Soria Lippi, a native of Ecuador and someone who has a deep appreciation for the artisans and handcrafts of her homeland, found the company with her husband Chuck Lippi in 1985. Chuck Lippi learned to appreciate Panama Hats over 30 years ago while working in the Peace Corps in Ecuador in a small rural Andean village where many of the men and women spent their free time in the evenings weaving Panama Hats. In 2002 Chuck and Consuelo's son, Tony Lippi, joined the company.