Page 76 - #85 en

C

W hen I first started researching the coffee

industry in the Caribbean for a story, I had
no idea what to expect. I was not familiar
with the coffee scene on the islands and
was not sure what kind of problems or successes I would
find. After interviewing several people in the industry,
I quickly realized that the coffee industry in the Carib-
bean is a fascinating and complex subject. The region
has a long and complicated history, and coffee is an
important part of that history for many of the islands.
What became clear very quickly is that all islands
differ so much from one another, both in terms of their
Puerto Rico: coffee industry and the way they do business. To under-
stand why this is, one must first understand the history
of these islands, most of which have been colonized at
some point by one or more European countries.
The Value colonized by the Spanish, while Haiti and Martinique
Islands like Puerto Rico and Jamaica have been

were once French colonies. These different colonial
histories have had a big impact on the way each island
of Community produces and sells coffee. However, between more pop-
ular modern-day coffee origins like Jamaica, Haiti, and
the Dominican Republic, it was Puerto Rico that really
captivated my attention.

Resilience In the Face of Adversity

76 77