This island of Hispaniola, situated east of Cuba, is renowned as the birthplace of coffee in the Caribbean. It encompasses both the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The journey of coffee to this land began in 1715 when a Frenchman named Gabriel de Clieu introduced the Arabica seeds to the island of Martinique. From there, he traversed the Caribbean, spreading coffee cultivation to various French colonies.
Clieu’s endeavor soon bore fruit as coffee quickly became a cherished commodity.
Arriving in the French Colony of Saint Domingue around 1720, now modern-day Haiti, de Clieu’s endeavor soon bore fruit as coffee quickly became a cherished commodity. By the late 1700s, alongside sugar and rum, coffee emerged as a major French export to Europe and the Americas.
Meanwhile, the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola fell under Spanish colonization and was named Santo Domingo, present-day Dominican Republic. The Spanish, focused on gold mining and tobacco cultivation, initially regarded coffee as a threat to their tobacco production.
In 1801, General Toussaint L’Ouverture led the French colonial forces in an invasion of the southwest of Santo Domingo colony, capturing Barahona and advancing eastward toward Santo Domingo City and the fertile Cibao region. The lush Barohuco Mountains, spanning both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, provided an ideal environment for coffee cultivation. Haiti, newly independent in 1804, recognized coffee’s potential and encouraged its expansion in the Cibao Region.
In 1844, the Dominican Republic gained independence from both Haiti and Spain. With the decline of plantation societies in the late 19th century, small-scale coffee farming flourished. Vibrant communities sprouted across the mountainous regions, laying the foundation for the Dominican coffee industry.
By the 1880s, coffee had become a cornerstone of the Dominican economy. Today, the Dominican Republic boasts diverse climatic conditions conducive to growing a variety of coffee bean varietals, including Arabica, Typica, and Robusta, on small family-owned farms. Explore the rich history and flavors of Dominican coffee, rooted deep in the island’s heritage.
