Celebrating 275 years of coffee
Brief notes about Puerto Rico's coffee history
Por Miguel F. Monroig Inglés
In the XVI Century, specifically in the year 1736, Spanish rulers determined that the climatic and geographic conditions of Puerto Rico where ideal for coffee cropping. After realizing this, they decided to introduce the plant importing it from the Dominican Republic. With such a quick adaptation, successful crop and rapid expansion it became the most significant industry by mid-nineteenth century. It also became the most exported product, making Puerto Rico the biggest coffee exporter in America. In the year 1896 Puerto Rico coffee exports reached 586,000 quintals (58,600,000 kilos). In Spain, coffee, besides being tax-protected by the Spanish Government, was highly demanded. Puerto Rican coffee had a great reputation and it was greatly accepted. Its excellent quality earned it higher prices.
During this period the majority of Puerto Ricans lived along the coastline and thanks to the harvesting and processing of coffee a big migration originated to the high mountains of the island. The coffee industry became the latest source for wealth and a new way of life for many in the central part of the island. Part of the Puerto Rican culture comes from this new lifestyle.
Important changes in policy, climatic events, population exodus, diminishes in production and quality, the introduction of sugar cane, among other things led up to the industry’s instability which ultimately led up to the closing of many coffee farms. Subsequently, from the 1930’s this situation gave way to the implementation of laws, subsidy programs, and state and federal incentives to rehabilitate the coffee industry. This allowed for the industry to remain one of the three crops of most importance, economically speaking, of the agricultural sector (sugar cane, coffee and tobacco) for many years.
275 years have passed since coffee was first introduced in Puerto Rico, and even with the economic, social and political changes the island has undergone the coffee industry remains one of the most important, for Puerto Rico’s economy, among the agricultural sector. This industry is responsible for most of the jobs in areas where unemployment rates are the highest among all the island’s municipalities. There are over 4,094 coffee farmers, 68 coffee processing plants, and 58 roasting facilities that depend upon this crop for their subsistence. It is estimated that the Puerto Rican coffee industry generates over 25,000 jobs, direct and indirect. There are over 200,000 Puerto Ricans that live in this coffee producing zone and there is a need in retaining them in this area in order to minimize the migration of them to other densely populated areas which can worsen social problems on the island.
The coffee region includes over 628,000 acres of land from which 292,000 have limited agricultural use thanks to their abrupt conditions. Some 38,535 acres are solely dedicated to the cropping of coffee while the remaining to other agricultural harvests. The coffee region of Puerto Rico behaves very much as a forest. It is located on hydrographic zone and it serves as a home for many birds, reptiles among other species. It is imperative not leave the island’s coffee industry unnoticed to the point of extinction since it is part of Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage.