In my life growing up Puerto Rican, una boricua, has always been a great aspect of my identity and a proud part of who I am. Many summers  I spent in Puerto Rico visiting my family, and I could always remember its wonderful highlights: the beautiful weather, delicious food, charming people filled with so much life, stunning beaches and giant swaying palm trees. As a young adult those summers have been hard to come by with schooling, work, and other obligations getting in the way. After six years, this last Spring I was able to revisit my beloved family home to celebrate the joy of my cousin getting married. The morning of the event my sister and I rushed to find morning coffee to give us the energy to last throughout the eventful day,  which sparked for me an excitement to do research on P.R. Coffee culture for the blog all those months ago. Finally, I am excited to share with you what I have discovered about coffee in P.R. By focusing on an authentic coffee business established over there about 15 years ago.

Authentic Puerto Rican Coffee

Hacienda San Pedro is a coffee company in Puerto Rico which proudly produces and internationally distributes coffee made from the rich island itself. I was interested after learning about how the co-creators used their own family farm to make their official coffee company, I thought how viable a business it must be: with all sunshine year around weather, the island with a rich history of producing coffee and of course the land already provides a vibrant assortment of natural goods, it would seem like a feasible market.

However there is more to this story. Beyond appearances there is an interesting Historical and cultural origin behind PR’s coffee which can be viewed through the lens of Hacienda San Pedro. I had the pleasure of talking to one of the creators of the company, in which we discussed the History of the company and he provided insight on the true coffee culture of the island.

The Recent Emergence of Cafes in Puerto Rico

About 16 years ago, coffee shop culture as we know it, did not exist in Puerto Rico. The idea of socializing and lounging in a cafe setting, going out for a $4+ latte was not a usual custom. Instead it was customary that everyone made their coffee at home. Within my own childhood I remember this to be true. I remember my days in P.R. When my grand aunt grounded her own coffee from whole beans using a handheld coffee grinder in her home. I recall early mornings spent in my grandmother’s house in P.R. before the sun rose, I could smell the aroma of her making cafe bustelo, one of her usual picks before starting the day to tend to her rich garden of platanos, guanabanas, pana, habicheulas, mangos, and all else. But the coffee made in the kitchen was the staple part of the morning. So along with the modern customs of cafes there was no presence for it before that time in P.R.

The Arrival of Starbucks to the Island

About 15 years ago is when Starbucks came to the island, popping up across different cities, bringing to light this sensation of ‘cafe culture’. Owners of Hacienda San Pedro, realized they could take advantage of Starbucks paving the way for this ‘cafe culture’, by creating their own coffee company and cafes. The co-owner’s father owns a farm, so they thought it was a great opportunity to produce their own coffee beans, with the plan to ship their product internationally, and prosper by opening up their own local cafes on their native land. In fact, this term of La Hacienda, which comes from the Spanish word Hacer, to make, is associated with factories, mines, and plantations during Spanish colonial times in which goods were made on these estates for business purposes. This term includes farm properties that make their own coffee, as the creators of La Hacienda San Pedro set out to do.

History of Coffee in P.R.

Coffee production is not new to the island, with coffee being grown on the land dating back to the 18th century when it was a colony of Spain. The coffee variety the Spaniards brought were the ones they exported from Ethiopia. As discussed with co-creator of Hacienda San Pedro, it was really a group of individuals living between the border of France and Spain that brought the Arabian coffee to P.R. In any case, Spain utilized the land to produce coffee for commercial value. Although locals also did partake in the consumption. Two important factors which makes the land a great contender for coffee production is its warm climate and also mountainous terrain, which is an ideal factor for growing coffee plants. Coffee production was successful and by the 19th century, Puerto Rico became the seventh largest producers of coffee in the world. In 1898, when the US took over the island, there was a decline in the production of coffee. The production moved from a focus on coffee to sugar cane. It is in these recent times that we see a re-emergence of coffee production on the island.

Major Impacts on the Future of Puerto Rican Coffee

As we touched on earlier it seems coffee companies would do well in Puerto Rico. However, this is not nessarily the case. One issue is how each cherry from the coffee plants must be picked by hand, which takes long hours and vigorous work to accomplish to get the amount needed. As the years go on it becomes more and more difficult to hire those willing to do the job. Additionally, Coffee Plants are greatly effected by the weather. With the recent tragedy of Hurricane Maria, like the rest of the island, coffee companies there are still in recovery with a blow to their product even with a few years passing since the catastrophe. Before the hurricane, San Pedro exported their coffee to New York, in markets like Fairway, and also to Porto Rico Importing Co. in the East Village which sells international quality coffee beans and tea. Although in the aftermath they’ve had to pull back from exporting coffee goods for the time being.

However not all is lost, as this time of year is peak season for coffee on the island, which may help turn the impact of the decline around. Hacienda San Pedro has always been a business looking to evolve with the times, and not only do they have a few cafes located around the island but they also offer their coffee blends in grounded, whole beans, and k-cups forms.

If you do have the future opportunity to visit Puerto Rico, make sure to visit one of Hacienda San Pedro’s cafes to taste authentic Puerto Rican coffee. The cafe locations and directions can be found here.

Sources

1. Hacienda San Pedro. https://hacienda-san-pedro.myshopify.com

2. “Coffee Production in Puerto Rico”. Wikipedia, web. Accessed on 16 Oct 2019. URL link:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_production_in_Puerto_Rico

3. Encyclopedia Britannica. “Hacienda”. Britannica.com. Web. Accessed on 16 Oct 2019. URL link:https://www.britannica.com/topic/hacienda-estate