History of Costa Rican Coffee
THE BEGINNINGS
The "Golden Bean" makes it way to America
Sometime around 1720, coffee was introduced to America, when the first seeds of the Coffea Arabica species arrived on the island of Martinique, Antilles.
The seeds were later planted in Costa Rica, then still a province of Spain, at the end of the 18th century.
At that time the country had basic subsistence agriculture, but Costa Rican history changed in 1808 when under Governor Tomás de Acosta, the cultivation of coffee began to take root in the soil, and has penetrated very deeply into the soul and being of Costa Rica.
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STEP TWO
Costa Rica was the first Central American country to establish this flourishing industry. Outstanding personalities contributed to the development of the crop that created the peaceful and successful country of Costa Rica that we know today. Father Félix Velarde has been called the first coffee farmer, who in 1816 refers to the fact that he owns a plot of land with coffee plants. The first coffee plantation was 100 meters north of the Metropolitan Cathedral, at the intersection of Avenida Central and Calle Uno (Central Avenue and First Street). This location today is in bustling downtown San Jose and there is a plaque here on the site to commemorate the first coffee plantation in Costa Rica.