Coffee History

The lush tropical island of Puerto Rico is famous for its exotic local hideaways, white sand beaches and other natural wonders. What most people don't know is that the island is also famous for its world -class coffee. Though one might say that this is a matter of taste, but most experts consider that Puerto Rican coffee as the best in the industry.

Puerto Rico has a rich coffee tradition. It was first introduced in this Caribbean island in 1736 by the Spanish immigrants who settled on the island. But it was not until the early part of the 19th century that the coffee for which Puerto Rico became famous for had its inception, that is, when the residents of the Mediterranean island of Corsica migrated from Europe. These immigrants were told, when they arrived in the island, that they would have to farm in the highlands since the valleys were already taken by the Spanish immigrants. They eventually settled in the Southwestern Mountains, around the town of Yauco. And it was there that they brought the idea of growing coffee. By the year 1860, they already dominated the coffee industry in the island and the rest, as they say, is history.

The dominant bean in the island is the Arabica bean, which has the reputation as the most flavorful and richest of all coffee varieties. The secret, however, of Puerto Rico's unique Arabica bean is that it is grown at a high altitude, 3,000 feet above sea level,  and combined with cloud cover, the shade of trees and the soil composition is what gives Puerto Rican coffee its rich flavor and a bit of sweet aftertaste.

Just like Hawaii Kona, Puerto Rico’s labor cost reflect U.S. Government standards. Puerto Rico also follows U.S. environmental standards.