In 1720, Frenchman Gabriel de Clieu attempted to transport two coffee plants—cuttings from Louis XIV´s royal stock—to Martinique. Legend has it that while crossing the Atlantic, de Clieu’s ship was stranded in the doldrums. As windless days dragged by, supplies dwindled. The coffee plants wilted. Desperate, de Clieu sacrificed his last ration of water for the plants. Soon after, a breeze stirred, sails billowed, and de Clieu landed on Martinique with one coffee plant still intact. From that sole survivor, the Typica variety of coffee arose.
 
Coffee seeds from that plant’s descendants arrived in Hispaniola in 1735. A few years later, young Typica plants were taking root in the rich soils of what is now the Dominican Republic. And there, coffee flourished. The offspring of those original plants still grace the forested slopes of the DR, where some of the oldest coffee farms in the New World produce extraordinary coffee that reflects this remarkable heritage.

“Dominicanos” are fanatic about growing, brewing—and enjoying!—great coffee. 

Whether in the bustling capital of Santo Domingo or in the smallest rural village, you’ll find that quality coffee is a part of everyday life. Rich and dark, it is typically served in small demitasse cups. 

In most Latin and Central American countries, coffee is produced primarily for export, however much of the coffee grown in the Dominican Republic, stays within its borders, where it is savored as an elixir of life! 

For the Dominican people, coffee also is synonymous with a tranquil, unhurried lifestyle, where there is always time for simple pleasures: good friends, fine food, great conversation, and of course, the taste, aroma —and elegance—of fine coffee.