Coffee from Trinidad & Tobago

Coffee is grown by estates and smallholders in the hilly regions of Trinidad and Tobago. The industry has recently declined due to coffee pests, inefficient farming methods, and uncertain economic conditions.

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is located in the southern Caribbean, south of Grenada, just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. Coffee production in Trinidad and Tobago was 2,361 tons in 1985, which dropped to less than 1,000 tons in 1999.

Small farms in Trinidad and Tobago grow various crops, including beans, rice, potatoes, peas, and other vegetables and fruits, mainly for the domestic market. Large estates grow primarily export crops, are usually managed by a single specialist, and employ many workers. Sugar, Trinidad, and Tobago's main cash crop are grown on several large estates and thousands of small farms, producing about two-thirds of the total crop on large estates. As with coffee in Trinidad and Tobago, sugar production fell. For example, about 95,000 tons were produced in 1999, while 250,000 tons were made in 1961.

History of Coffee in Trinidad

Trinidad is known for its coffee trade. Instead, the Caribbean is best known for its cocoa crop, which accounts for most of its exports. However, most of Trinidad's climate is perfect for growing coffee trees.

Part of the Equatorial Bean Belt, it is the southernmost island nation in the Caribbean Sea. The northern mountains fall into cool valleys, and the beans are grown under Bois Immortel for shade and moisture.

Despite all these advantages, Trinidad has only exported significant coffee beans once in its long history. With only £40,000 being shipped at the height of its popularity, Trinidad coffee remains one of its little-known treasures.

The Original Planters

Originally known as the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Christopher Columbus claimed the island as a Spanish colony in the 14th century. The Spanish found the high altitude of the northern mountains ideal for growing coffee, but it often gave way to sugar and cocoa, the island's main livelihoods.

Coffee is enjoyed locally, and until the island changes hands, almost none of it is exported abroad. In 1797, the British conquered Trinidad from the Spanish and became part of the British territory. However, by the late 1830s, sugar and cocoa still dominated.

In addition, in the mid-18th century, London began to touch coffee, and the rise of coffeehouses was unprecedented. Britons export coffee beans from all over to supply the rapidly growing number of coffee shops in the British capital.

The Rise of Coffee in Trinidad

While Governor Gordon was undertaking land reforms, world markets also experienced significant price increases for various commodities. These two situations have resulted in Trinidad's most prominent coffee bean export.

In 1883, the island shipped approximately 40,000 pounds of coffee beans to other ports worldwide. The surge in production proved the benefits of using coffee as a cash crop, but it never fully caught on.

Coffee Shops & Current Coffee Trade

In the early 20th century, Venezuelan refugees breathed new life into Trinidad's coffee culture. The refugees settled down in the eastern part of the island and started small cafes. Many Venezuelan immigrants are poor and hungry. Strong black coffee curbs appetite and is a great place to chat and plan.

Bean roasting was done in-house and is still done today. Trinidad usually imports more than it exports. However, Trinidad established a cocoa and coffee marketing cooperative.

The company is a partnership between the Department of Labor and smallholder farmers. It aims to improve infrastructure, so coffee and cocoa growers can earn sustainable incomes. The goal is to build small companies and make them independent.

Despite decades of war, terrorism and other ravages in the country, the society continues to help farmers gain a foothold and produce some of the world's most unique coffees.

PASSIONATE ABOUT ROBUSTA

In general, robusta coffee has more caffeine and less sugar than Arabica coffee, making the drinking experience slightly sour. For this reason, the farm's harvest is easier to care for and more productive.

Cafe Vega knows that Arabica coffee is sold in the world market almost twice as much as Robusta coffee and that most Europeans are accustomed to using Arabica coffee alone or both. Côte d'Ivoire alone has more than 700 wild Robusta coffee bean varieties.

Indeed, Trinidad Robusta coffee is not as palatable as some of its close neighbours. For example, one of the most famous coffees from the region, the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, is Arabica. Flavour profile to which most people are more accustomed.

Cafe Vega wants to get the islands' Robusta on the map – they're proud to support the islands' farmers with a selection of their superior Robusta coffee beans.

Not only that, but they've secured relationships between selected coffee shops throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom in the hopes that it will bring awareness to and create demand for the various products that make up Trinidad coffee. Converting the land of tea drinkers into actual coffee connoisseurs is genuinely a worthy cause, and we wish them the best of luck because we know that mustn't be an easy task.