From the Gripiñas Neighborhood of Jayuya to Europe
Café Gripiñas is the legacy of one of the most legendary coffee families in Puerto Rico. The Oliver Mayol family began growing coffee more than 100 years ago and they continue to do so with the same passion and commitment as their successor in this arduous task, Luis Valldejuly Sastre.
In 1904 Café Gripiñas was awarded the "Grand Prize" at the International Coffee Pavilion in the city of San Luis, Missouri; An award that helped and continues to help this grain continue to position itself in the world's major coffee consumption markets, such as Germany, England and the United States. With the mission of continuing the legacy of Don Jaime Oliver Mayol, his great-great-grandson, Luis Valldejuly Sastre, took on the task of taking Gripiñas coffee to various fairs in Europe in order to export this Puerto Rican grain to European markets. The commitment was not in vain, since Café Gripiñas has been consistently exported to the markets of England and Germany for 12 years.
In the image you will first appreciate Don Jaime Oliver, the first generation of coffee growers from Café Gripiñas.
Café Gripiñas has not disappointed at all. Its client in London is the Harrods Food Hall chain, a department store that has a concept of artisan food and a roaster that seeks to offer its customers the best grains in the world. Without a doubt, the Harrods roaster catalogs this coffee as one without equal and of great excellence. So much so, that it offers the equivalent of $120.00 per pound of roasted coffee. On the other hand, Diester Kaffee in Hanover, Germany is another big customer that roasts this Puerto Rican bean and values it at €80.00 per pound.
Being able to present to you what Café Gripiñas is is something that fills us with great pride. This coffee, without a doubt, is a worthy global representative of our most resilient agricultural industry. It also presents us with the great opportunity we have to reach the European market with more consistency.
The passage of Hurricane Maria affected Puerto Rican coffee growers, but where some saw failure, our farmers have seen opportunity and inspiration to continue this great legacy of Puerto Rican coffee growing.
For more information and purchase Gripiñas coffee, please click here.
