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History of Coffee in Jamaica

If considered as a single coffee growing region, the ‘West Indies’ produced more coffee at the end of the 18th century than any other region in the world. All of the major powers of Europe had islands producing coffee. But the volumes of coffee being exported from the Caribbean were built on the false economy of slavery.

As slavery faded from the Caribbean, so did the European presence and coffee production dropped dramatically. The bright spot—if not exactly an exception—was Jamaica. By 1880, when growing coffee had been reduced to a rumour on most islands, coffee production was growing in Jamaica and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee was being sold at premium prices that attracted the attention of coffee producers around the world.

In 1807 Jamaica produced 170,000 bags of coffee and peaked at 230,000 bags in 1814. Then, as with its island neighbors, production of Jamaican coffee dropped dramatically for decades. But unlike the other islands, Jamaica staged a coffee comeback. In 1864 the Jamaican coffee industry produced 31,000 bags. By 1880 production had increased to 75,000 bags.