THE HISTORY OF COFFEE

It started in Ethiopia a few centuries ago, Coffee was first consumed by macerating or chewing it, but Arab talents were the reason for the
development of coffee. It first arrived in Turkey in 1554 then entered Europe through the Venetian port in the 17th century and spread across the continent, reaching the United States around the 18th century.

The coffee plantation in Colombia has about 300 years of history since the Jesuits brought it in the 18th century. In 1835, the first bags produced in the eastern zone were exported from the Cucuta customs office. Legend states has it that the increase in coffee production in Colombia was thanks to the Jesuit priest Francisco Romero in a town in Santander called “Salazar de las Palmas”, who imposed on them as penance to plant coffee. Thanks to this it is said that coffee production began to expand to other departments and by 1850 it had reached Cundinamarca, Antioquia and Caldas.

The transition from the 19th to the 20th century brought with it a great fall in international prices and consequently a crisis for the landowners that completely changed the landscape. This favored the small producers that had been growing and the leadership of coffee development moved to the Western zone.