How Gabriel de Clieu Smuggled Coffee to Martinique in 1720

In 1720, France’s grand plan to grow coffee in its colonies was failing—until one determined naval officer took matters into his own hands. Gabriel de Clieu, a Martinique native on leave in Paris, learned that the French government had given up on transplanting coffee from the Netherlands’ prized Java ‘mother tree.’ With the French market increasingly dependent on Ottoman and Dutch imports, de Clieu saw an opportunity—and decided to act.

The answer? One. De Clieu stole a single coffee seedling from Paris’s Royal Botanical Garden and successfully transported it to Martinique in 1723, where it thrived and became the ancestor of most Caribbean coffee.

Why France Needed Coffee Outside the Ottoman Empire

By the early 18th century, coffee had become a luxury drink in Paris—but France’s attempts to cultivate it in its own colonies had stalled. The French were reliant on coffee supplies controlled by the Ottoman Empire and the Dutch, who monopolized the trade through Java. With Martinique as a French territory in the Caribbean, de Clieu recognized a strategic chance to break that dependency by establishing a local coffee industry using a direct descendant of the Java mother tree.

The Theft That Changed Coffee History

De Clieu’s plan began with a bold move: stealing a coffee seedling. He had spotted healthy Java coffee trees in the Royal Botanical Garden’s greenhouse and pleaded with the head botanist, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, and royal physician M. de Chirac to let him take one. After being refused, he broke in under cover of darkness and took a single seedling. Historians debate whether he took one or two, but de Clieu’s own diary confirms he transported just one to Martinique.

The Perilous Journey to Martinique

The voyage was fraught with danger. De Clieu faced:

• Storms that delayed the ship for days
• An attempted pirate attack
• Limited freshwater—so scarce that for a month, he shared his own ration with the seedling, refusing the captain’s order to let it die
• Suspected sabotage from anti-coffee factions and Dutch spies

Despite it all, de Clieu kept the fragile plant alive, tending to it around the clock.

Arrival and Cultivation in Martinique

In 1723, the ship reached Martinique. De Clieu wrote: “The first thing I did was plant the almost wilting little plant in my garden as if it were a child. I guarded it fiercely, planted thorns around it, and posted guards until it flowered and bore fruit.” The seedling adapted well to Martinique’s soil and climate, and it became the parent of the island’s—and much of the Caribbean’s—coffee industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Gabriel de Clieu?

Gabriel de Clieu was a French naval officer from Martinique who, in 1720, stole a single coffee seedling from the Royal Botanical Garden in Paris to transplant it in Martinique. His goal was to establish a French-controlled coffee industry in the Caribbean, free from dependence on Dutch and Ottoman imports.

Why did de Clieu steal the coffee seedling?

France’s official attempts to grow coffee in its colonies had failed, and the government refused to support further efforts. De Clieu, aware of Martinique’s suitable climate and the strategic value of coffee independence, took it upon himself to smuggle a Java-descended seedling to establish a viable coffee plantation.

How many coffee seedlings did de Clieu actually take?

De Clieu’s diary states he transported one seedling. While historians debate whether he may have taken two, the only confirmed surviving seedling was the one he planted in Martinique in 1723.

What challenges did de Clieu face during the journey?

He endured violent storms, a pirate attack, a month of sharing limited freshwater with the seedling, and suspected sabotage from both anti-coffee groups and Dutch agents trying to thwart his mission.

What happened after the seedling reached Martinique?

The seedling acclimated well to Martinique’s environment. De Clieu protected it with thorn barriers and guards until it flowered and produced coffee cherries, eventually becoming the ancestor of most Caribbean coffee plants.

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