The traditional coffee producing area has made a comeback and changed the way of fine coffee.

The story takes place in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico used to be a major coffee producing area more than a century ago, but coffee production here has been declining for nearly half a century, and now it is only about 10 million pounds a year, a drop in the bucket compared with the past. the acreage of coffee fell from nearly 200000 acres in the 1960s to about 40,000 acres in 2010. At the same time, there are even fewer coffee exports. The shrinking of farms and the loss of labour have made this traditional coffee producer seem completely unable to compete with big countries such as Brazil and Colombia.

But now, a new force of coffee has sprung up on the island, and taking the route of boutique coffee may be a bright way for this small Caribbean island. Puerto Rico's coffee producing areas are mostly concentrated in the mountains of the island, with lush vegetation, which is suitable for the growth of coffee trees. In the past, Puerto Rico's agricultural sector also encouraged farmers to cut down shade trees and let coffee trees face the sun to increase yield, but this did not have an advantage on the quality of coffee beans themselves.

As a plant that needs shade, coffee beans are now more surrounded by organic producers with heavy vegetation. For example, Finca Gripi ñ as Farm, which is more than 600m above sea level, has only five acres of planting area where other crops are cultivated besides coffee, and there are small coffee farms surrounded by banana trees, orange trees and more mountain vegetation, waterfalls and streams. The owners have also planted extra hardwood trees with shorter growth periods. Provide more natural shelter for coffee.

These tiny small farms form a new group of coffee revival in Puerto Rico, where coffee production increased for the first time last year. The agricultural sector on the island promotes the development of the industry through subsidies for equipment and manpower.

In Utuado, the heart of the coffee producing area, the University of Puerto Rico also offers courses for farmers to teach them how to optimize production, and soil experts guide people in the fields to cultivate quality coffee to increase product value and increase income.

In the university laboratory, they have also set up a coffee tasting room to give growers a better understanding of their products. Alfredo Rodriguez, who teaches cup testing and tasting courses, is both a coffee tasting expert certified by the American Fine Coffee Federation and a grower himself.

His students now have many former engineers, doctors and even pilots, who have switched to their hometown agriculture in middle age. These producers equipped with industry knowledge will better grasp the market demand and provide more accurate and high-quality products.

Source: curiosity Daily

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