The story of Puerto Rican coffee is one of strength and resilience. The Caribbean island, once the world’s seventh-largest coffee producer, is now home to roughly 2,000 coffee farms that have beaten the odds against devastating hurricanes and a history of colonial suppression.

Producers, roasters, and baristas alike are revitalising the island’s coffee industry through a growing focus on specialty coffee – and it’s reshaping the future of Puerto Rican coffee.

I spoke to Omar Torres and Kathy Muir at Gustos Coffee in Puerto Rico to learn more.

You may also like our article on the rise of Caribbean coffee roasters.

A history of Puerto Rican coffee

Coffee has been an integral part of Puerto Rican culture since its beginnings.

“There is a lot of pride in our coffee; it’s part of our culture and it’s in our blood,” says Omar Torres, the CEO of Gustos Coffee, which was first established by Omar and his wife, Grisel León, in 1999. Gusto’s farm is in Yauco, and the roasting facility is in San Juan.

“Almost every family in Puerto Rico at one point in time has or had a family member who was working in the coffee industry,” he adds.

The island has been growing coffee since the 1730s, when Spanish colonial powers introduced it as a cash crop. During this time, most coffee grown in Puerto Rico was consumed locally.

By the 1890s, the small island had established itself as an international coffee powerhouse. At its peak, Puerto Rico grew over 13.6 million kg of coffee.

“It was the golden era of coffee,” Omar says. However, the period that followed was in stark contrast. 

A major blow to Puerto Rican coffee production came in 1899, when the US government annexed the island from Spanish colonial rule. Puerto Rico’s farmers were henceforth incentivised to grow sugarcane, and coffee production dropped significantly.

Hurricanes have also played an unavoidable role in the island’s coffee story.

Tropical Storm San Liborio was one of the first recorded storms, which devastated the island’s southwest coffee lands in 1815. At the turn of the 20th century, an onslaught of hurricanes ravaged Puerto Rico, having disastrous consequences for its agricultural sector.

Moreover, the economic and socio-economic blow of hurricanes arguably worsened under US annexation. In the early 1900s, hurricanes frequently swept through already struggling farms. Tariffs imposed by European nations nearly halted Puerto Rican coffee imports, while Brazil became the primary source of coffee for the US.

Resilience defines the island’s coffee sector

With its coffee lands destroyed, Puerto Rico began relying on imported coffee in 1929 to meet local demand. By 1950, coffee had become a firmly established import industry; to this day, around two-thirds of the coffee consumed on the island is still imported.

“That felt like the beginning of the end of Puerto Rican coffee farms,” Omar says. 

In the 2010s, the island’s coffee production was already at an all-time low. Then, Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck in 2017, destroying upwards of 90% of the island’s coffee plants.

“Trees and farms were decimated,” Omar recounts. “To rebound from that was very difficult because we weren’t prepared.”

Hurricane Isaias hit in 2020 and set back the island’s coffee production once again.

Today, Puerto Rico’s coffee farms resemble something close to pre-Maria landscapes. But the lingering fear of another hurricane remains.

Still, producers remain resilient. When coffee farms were devastated by Hurricane Maria, Gustos Coffee worked for almost two years to rehabilitate their remaining trees and initiate replanting efforts. The company grew and distributed 100,000 trees to farmers in Yauco, along with 70,000 packages of essential supplies. 

“After a hurricane occurs, it’s common that the communities who live in the mountains leave because there’s nothing to sustain them there,” Omar says. “We needed to support these communities, providing them food and essential amenities, so that they would stay, and the farmers in the area would be motivated to replant their farms.” 

These efforts evolved into the Gustos Foundation, which has supported replantation efforts on the island. Gustos Coffee also opened a centre in the mountains of Yauco, where computers and printers are available for farmers to apply for agricultural grants and reimbursements.

Why key production challenges persist

The costs of production inflated drastically when the island became an unincorporated U.S. territory, subject to numerous trade barriers imposed by the Jones Act. US export tariffs, for example, make Puerto Rican coffee cost nearly three times as much as comparable quality coffees from other countries. 

US protectionist trade regulations also make it difficult and costly for Puerto Rican roasters to import green coffee. The US and Puerto Rico Departments of Agriculture are the only entities that can legally import green coffee into the island. 

An oligopoly of large roasters buys a vast majority of this imported coffee to blend with domestically grown beans. Independent roasters are largely prohibited from importing green coffee, and importing semi-roasted or fully roasted coffee incurs staggering import taxes.  

Production costs are exacerbated by labour shortages on coffee farms, which result in unpicked coffee rotting on the trees. The island’s ocean-locked borders and US immigration policies limit the flow of much-needed migrant labourers. Many coffee pickers on the island sometimes harvest unripe cherries in order to yield profitable volumes.

Additionally, farm owners must pay coffee pickers the US federal minimum wage, which essentially ensures that all Puerto Rican coffee is fair trade; however, this increases costs significantly.

Puerto Rico’s agricultural structure also keeps coffee prices low and disincentivises farmers to grow it. Since the last half of the 20th century, many have abandoned coffee production in favour of more profitable crops or have left farming altogether.

Companies like Gustos have helped farmers by paying them above fair prices for high-quality beans. This has caused a revitalisation of younger farmers to start growing coffee.

How Puerto Ricans are revitalising their coffee industry

After experiencing decades of failed aid programmes and a lack of government support, many farm owners and labourers have lost hope for significant policy change anytime soon.

Still, they are finding ways to invest in their island’s coffee sector.

“Puerto Rican coffee is more than a crop; it’s a symbol of our heritage and resilience,” Omar says. “We’ve been through so many hurricanes, and we always stand up the next day.”

In a testament to this perseverance, Gustos Coffee resumed operations within three days after Hurricane Maria, despite lacking electricity, fuel for delivery trucks and generators, and a roof on their warehouses and offices.

For over a quarter century, Omar and Grisel have invested in specialty coffee production and promoted the consumption of Puerto Rican specialty coffee. The company initially began selling coffee vending and espresso machines, but quickly expanded to growing and roasting coffee to gain more control over its supply chain.

“I realised I couldn’t get quality coffee from local roasters, so I started roasting my own,” Omar says. “We wanted to elevate the quality of coffee in Puerto Rico, and at the same time, we wanted to support the local farmers.”

The future of Puerto Rico’s coffee industry lies with specialty coffee

Producers, roasters, and baristas alike believe that the fate of Puerto Rico’s coffee industry relies on advancing quality standards. On-farm innovation, equitable trade practices, and education are key to these efforts.

Little of the island’s coffee meets specialty-grade standards, and the majority that does is exported abroad. A small but passionate cohort of producers is hoping to change this. 

Some are innovating with climate-smart farming practices, new varieties, and experimental processing methods, opting to absorb the high costs of production. This effort has sparked a revival of the Puerto Rican coffee industry, producing internationally acclaimed specialty coffee. 

Optimism is also buzzing among Puerto Rican producers, as the US’ universal trade tariffs could give their coffee a competitive edge in the global market. Not only is Puerto Rico exempt from import levies in the US market, but recent record C prices are narrowing the gap between the price received by Puerto Rican farmers and their costs of production – although not completely closing it.

These incremental economic wins may benefit the growing number of Puerto Rican farmers who are endeavouring to produce experimental microlots of specialty coffee.

Gustos Coffee demonstrates the trade structure necessary for advancing Puerto Rican specialty coffee. Core to their philosophy is paying farmers immediately profitable prices. This starkly contrasts the historical trade model in Puerto Rico, in which the government guaranteed farmers the sale of their coffee, but commonly at far below the cost of production. Farmers had to rely on incentives and grants from the USDA to break even.

To further support farmers, the company has also invested in a processing mill. 

“We have complete control of coffee quality from the moment it’s harvested to when we roast and serve it,” Omar explains. “When I speak to farmers, their encouragement and enthusiasm are very strong, and they are continuing to replant additional acres every year.”

Investing in education

As in many global markets, improving access to education is crucial for supporting the growth of specialty coffee.

In 2019, Gustos Coffee opened Academia de Café as Puerto Rico’s second certified Specialty Coffee Association campus, offering primarily Spanish classes, including Introduction to Coffee, Barista Skills, and Brewing Skills.

“With our focus on higher-quality coffee, we had to start an academy to teach people not only that we’re selling our coffee to, but also the general public,” Omar says, adding that some Puerto Ricans have historically lacked access to information about the higher costs of specialty coffee and sensory perception.

“Local coffee professionals are eager to advance to the next level and represent Puerto Rico,” says Kathy Muir, the manager of Academia de Café at Gustos Coffee.

A growing number of coffee producers are attending classes at the academy to gain insight into consumer trends and demands, which helps them access new markets and potentially increase their income. Therefore, Gustos Coffee aims to make its classes affordable for producers. 

“High-quality education has a price, but it needs to be fair so that producers feel good about and are able to spend their money on learning,” Kathy says, adding that some have already achieved a return on investment from the workshops.  

Kathy also notes how education creates more conscious coffee drinkers and opens the door for more potential customers. 

“Home baristas have been the academy’s largest and most enthusiastic cohort,” she tells me. “Prosumers recognise how investing in education helps them maximise the value of their home barista equipment.

“We offer grants for students and farmers to take part in our workshops. For example, we recently held a barista workshop for recently graduated high school students from coffee pickers and farmer families so they can find work while they pursue their college degrees.”

It’s clear that coffee holds a profound significance for Puerto Rico and its culture. Despite years of hardship and challenges, the sector remains resilient and continually innovates.

The island is already emerging as a specialty coffee origin, but it will take more time and investment before it can increase production and export levels.

In the meantime, education, ongoing support, and better representation remain key to success.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on the future of specialty coffee in Puerto Rico.

Photo credits: Gustos Coffee

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Please note: Gustos Coffee is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind.

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