How Martinique Gave Birth to Coffee in the Americas — Then Lost It

The story of coffee in the Americas doesn’t start in Colombia or Brazil — it starts on a small French island in the Caribbean. Martinique, just 1,100 square kilometres in size, was once the cradle of coffee cultivation in the New World. But today, its coffee fields are gone, replaced by bananas, sugarcane, and pineapples. What happened to the island that launched the Western coffee trade?

Martinique’s coffee story began in the early 1720s, when naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu brought a single coffee tree from France and planted it near Prechear around 1723. Its first harvest came in 1726. By 1777, the island had 18,791,680 coffee trees. That same coffee spread to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Guadeloupe — kickstarting the entire continental coffee industry.

The Arrival of the First Coffee Tree

In the early 1720s, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu, a French naval officer stationed in Martinique, acquired a single coffee tree in France. He transported it across the Atlantic and planted it near Prechear. This humble beginning marked the start of coffee cultivation in the Western Hemisphere. The first recorded harvest occurred in 1726.

A Rapid Expansion Across the Caribbean

From that single tree, coffee cultivation expanded quickly. By 1777, records show Martinique was home to 18,791,680 coffee trees. The crop flourished in the island’s tropical climate. More importantly, the trees were taken from Martinique to establish plantations in nearby Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Guadeloupe. This movement turned Martinique into the unlikely origin point of the Caribbean and wider American coffee industry.

From Boom to Oblivion

Despite its early success, Martinique’s coffee industry eventually faded. While exact causes aren’t detailed in the historical record, the shift away from coffee toward other exports — particularly bananas, sugarcane, and pineapples — led to its near-total disappearance today. The island that gave birth to coffee in the West now produces almost none. Coffee is no longer a major crop, having been replaced by more economically dominant plantation products.

Why This History Matters Today

Martinique’s role in coffee history is often overlooked. Yet it was the gateway through which coffee spread across the Caribbean and into the Americas. Understanding its rise and fall offers insight into how agricultural priorities, economic pressures, and colonial trade shaped global coffee production. For coffee professionals and enthusiasts, it’s a reminder of how quickly a major origin can fade — and why preserving origin diversity matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was the first coffee tree planted in the Western Hemisphere?

The first coffee tree in the Western Hemisphere was planted in Martinique, specifically near Prechear, by French naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu around 1723. It was brought from France and produced its first harvest in 1726.

How many coffee trees were there in Martinique by 1777?

By 1777, Martinique had 18,791,680 coffee trees, marking a massive expansion from its single origin tree just over 50 years earlier.

What caused Martinique’s coffee industry to disappear?

Although the exact reasons aren’t documented in detail, Martinique shifted its agricultural focus to other exports like bananas, sugarcane, and pineapples, leading to the near-total disappearance of coffee cultivation on the island.

Did coffee from Martinique spread to other islands?

Yes. Coffee cultivation spread from Martinique to nearby islands including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Guadeloupe, helping establish coffee production across the Caribbean and the Americas.

Why is Martinique important in coffee history?

Martinique is historically significant because it was the origin point of coffee cultivation in the Western Hemisphere. The first tree planted there led to the spread of coffee across the Caribbean and laid early foundations for the American coffee trade.

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