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the farmers we work with pays them US $8 per almud of preserving the heritage and promoting the agricultural
ripe coffee so that comes up to about minimum wage, but economy of Puerto Rico.
we have heard of farmers paying much more than that in Re:Colecta is a great example of how people are
an attempt to lure workers to the farms.” says Gabriel. working to make a difference in the Puerto Rican coffee
To help farmers with this labor shortage issue, industry, but they cannot do it alone. Building a com-
Eduardo and Gabriel came up with a program called munity that is committed to Puerto Rican coffee is es-
Re:Colecta which teams up with local artists to create sential for the future of the industry.
art which they sell and then use 100% of the profits to Puerto Rico’s coffee industry is a story of resilience
give coffee pickers cash prizes at the end of the harvest. in the face of adversity. The island has been able to adapt
“There are three cash prices for the three workers to changing conditions and continue producing coffee,
that pick the most ripe coffee during the harvest season albeit on a smaller scale. None of this would be possible
lack the knowledge and infrastructure to compete in the
at a particular farm. The first prize is US $500, the second without the hard work and dedication of the farmers,
global market. Plus their coffee is too expensive in com-
is US $250 and the third is US $125, plus each winner gets many of whom have devoted their lives to keeping the
parison to other coffee producing countries.
a certificate and a framed copy of the art piece created to Puerto Rican coffee industry alive.
High labor costs, a shortage of workers, and high
raise the funds. To celebrate their achievement we host a Now, Eduardo and Gabriel tell me that there is a new
operational costs drive up the prices. Additionally, the
party at the end of the harvest with music, food and drinks. generation of coffee farmers that is starting to experiment
island is prone to hurricanes, which can damage crops
We hope that we can incentivize them to come back next with different processing methods and varietals. The fact
and disrupt production. As a result, Puerto Rican coffees
year, and to tell others to join them. We wish to make that young people like Eduardo and Gabriel, but also a
are some of the most expensive in the world.
Re:Colecta a non-profit so that we can access more funds new generation of farmers are working to improve the
So, at the end of the day you have a very expensive
and impact more farms every year.” Eduardo explains. Puerto Rican coffee industry gives me hope. It is going to
coffee but the quality of the coffee doesn’t match the
This project is the definition of the bigger picture. take time and a lot of effort, but I believe that they will
price. The coffee industry in Puerto Rico is at a standstill.
It not only helps farmers with the labor shortage issue, succeed. Coffee is an essential part of Puerto Rican culture
The question is, how can it progress?
but also helps to keep coffee culture alive. It is a way of and it is time for the industry to reflect that.
Building a Community Through Art
All these obstacles cannot be faced simultaneously.
Some of them are even outside of the control of the Puer-
to Rican coffee farmers. Nonetheless, as they say, you
have to start somewhere. Taking the first step towards
positive change is always the hardest, but it is worth it.
Eduardo and Gabriel are proud of Puerto Rico’s
coffee heritage and culture. They want to see the coffee
industry in Puerto Rico prosper and are working hard
to make that happen. They are committed to elevating
the Puerto Rican coffee industry by addressing issues
that go beyond their day to day roasting business, be-
cause they can see the bigger picture.
They tell me that the biggest issue farmers are
currently faced with is finding coffee pickers during
harvest season, which sometimes leads to 50% of their
crop going to waste.
“As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is subject to fed- Building a community
eral laws, such as the minimum wage. Coffee pickers are
paid by ‘almud’ which is basically a container with 28 that is committed
pounds of cherries. The government establishes that
each almud should be paid at US $4.50 but everybody to Puerto Rican coffee
ignores that and pays more since nobody would do that
kind of hard labor for US $4.50 an almud. is essential
Even with US $8+ they can barely find people to work
the farm, and the coffee pickers tend to be older men and for the future of
women. On average, it takes a picker anywhere from 45 the industry.
minutes to 1 hour to pick 28 pounds of cherries. One of

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