In the mountainous region of Escambray, in central Cuba, Jesus Chaviano cultivates eight varieties of a quality Arabica. He now dreams of his production entering the closed circle of gourmet or “specialty” coffees, a novelty on the island that could revive a sector at half mast.
“I think that’s the path we need to take: make specialty coffees, not in large quantities, but in small batches in order to sell them well,” the 46-year-old coffee farmer told AFP.
It’s time to pick on his family plantation of eight hectares of arabica in the Guamuaya massif, where the climatic conditions and the altitude (800 meters) are particularly favorable to production.
Until then, Cuba, which has been growing coffee for almost 300 years, could not boast of any specialty coffee. The latter, valued on the international market for their taste qualities linked to specific terroirs, have nevertheless rekindled the appeal of high-end coffees over the past twenty years, by driving prices up.
But things are changing: in December, the first five Cuban specialty coffees will be presented in Santiago de Cuba (east) during the first edition of Cuba-Café, a producers’ fair. Their names and origins are kept secret for the time being.
“We are making progress in promoting this (type of) coffee”, confirms to AFP the scientific director of the National Institute for Agroforestry Research, Ramon Ramos, well aware that “with the same production” and “the same yield” that currently the marketing price can be “much higher”.
According to him, a ton of commercial coffee oscillates on the market “between 4,000 and 5,000 dollars”, while a kilo of specialty coffee can be sold “up to 10,000 dollars” like the very select Geisha coffee from Panama. This “could help to initiate a shift for the economy” of a sector that needs investment, he notes.
To be considered “specialty”, a coffee must obtain at least 80 points out of 100, according to the criteria of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), after having been evaluated by “certified tasters”. The score obtained influences the price.
– “All his heart” –
“It’s the future”, enthuses Jesus Chaviano in front of his house built in the middle of his plantation, as the French colonists did in the past who, fleeing Haiti in the 18th century, established coffee cultivation in Cuba.
At the height of the harvest season, its 42,000 vines, which flourish under the cover of avocado and banana trees, bear their bright red fruits. In 2021, he achieved a yield of one tonne of coffee per hectare, four times the national average.
In 1960, Cuba produced more than 60,000 tons of coffee against only 11,500 tons (less than half of local consumption) in 2021, of which barely 1,365 were exported, according to official figures.
Like all farmers on the island, coffee growers sell most of their production to the state. According to experts, the fall in production is explained by the impact of climate change, the substantial reduction in production areas and the emigration of the workforce.
“I am committed to doing things well and demonstrating that it is possible to produce coffee and quality coffee”, but “you have to put your heart into it”, believes Mr. Chaviano.
25 kilometers away, the managers of the Jibacoa agronomic research station, responsible for providing technological support to coffee growers, are working to increase yields.
The objective is a production of 30,000 tons of coffee by 2030, explains Ciro Sanchez, its director.
The program plans on the one hand to replant the lowland areas with productive varieties more resistant to climate change, and on the other hand to promote “in the mountainous massifs (…) the production of Arabica with high standards of quality”.
Jesus Chaviano hopes that one day one of his varieties will be able to enter the club of gourmet coffees. “We can do it, we just have to work!” he says optimistically.