"Once one of the largest coffee producers and exporters in the world, Haiti's long history of economic and political chaos, combined with deforestation, let the industry ailing. In recent years, coffee exports have been minuscule and declining, less than 0.008% of world exports, according to the International Coffee Organization. (Sumathi Reddy, WSJ May 20, 2011)
Today however, despite the 2010 earthquake that devastated the island country, Haiti's coffee farmers are back in business and once again growing Haitian Bleu coffee beans. Many are using the coffee industry to help revitalize the still struggling country through fair-trade-plus agreements that allow growers to retain a larger portion of the profit from the sale of their beans while ensuring they utilize sustainable and organic processes to produce the beans. This renewal of a profitable industry in Haiti provides economic support to one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere!
Haiti recently hosted it's first International Coffee Summit where Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul made the following comments about the importance of revitalizing Haiti's coffee industry."Coffee is one of the many areas where we are looking for partnerships, joint ventures and other collaborations, and we are ready to do everything we can to help facilitate this important engagement." The Minister also addressed how, as part of a larger agricultural plan, Haitian coffee could play a significant role not only in economic development, but also in promoting decentralization and job creation in rural areas." (Minister of the Interior of Haiti, Thierry Mayard-Paul, Sacramento Bee November 17, 2011)
Friday's Coffee hopes to play a part in this re-emergence of Haitian coffee in the near future!
Resources Quoted
The Atlantic:
Wall Street Journal:
Coffee Research: http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/haiti.htm
Just Haiti: http://www.justhaiti.org/
The Sacramento Bee: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/17/4063034/haitian-coffee-seeks-to-regain.html
