WALLENFORD - Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Development Era

FrontStreet Coffee · WALLENFORD - The Development History of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

In 1728, coffee was first introduced to Jamaica for cultivation. Due to Jamaica's suitable soil conditions, climate, and sunlight, the coffee quality was exceptional, and cultivation gradually expanded from St. Andrews to other regions.

In 1737, Jamaica's coffee production reached 83,000 pounds per year. Over the next 40 years, numerous private plantation owners emerged, and by 1800, there were 686 coffee plantations in Jamaica.

Due to the slave trade, labor costs rose dramatically, and plantation owners could not bear the heavy burden. By 1850, the number of coffee plantations had decreased to 186.

By 1900, the Jamaican government established the first coffee quality standards, but these standards met resistance from many private plantation owners and were ultimately not implemented.

Subsequently, due to the lack of quality standard constraints, the export quality of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee became inconsistent, greatly affecting its international reputation. By 1943, Canada, then a major importer of Blue Mountain Coffee, refused to import Blue Mountain Coffee.

In 1944, the Jamaican government recognized the necessity of regulating the Blue Mountain Coffee industry and re-established three regulatory recommendations for the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee industry: ① Centralize the processing of Blue Mountain Coffee beans, ② Establish Blue Mountain Coffee quality standards, ③ Establish the CIB to specifically handle market organization, management, and serve as an export supervisor.

In 1948, the world-renowned Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (CIB) was officially established, and the Jamaican government enacted the "Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Industry Management Regulations." The CIB's primary responsibility was to improve Blue Mountain Coffee quality through management and supervision, restoring its global reputation. At this time, the definition of Blue Mountain Coffee was strictly stipulated in the regulations: ① Granting four designated coffee plantations, including Wallenford, the authority to centrally process Blue Mountain Coffee beans to ensure quality, ② Coffee must be grown in the Blue Mountain region at 3,000-5,000 feet altitude, ③ Blue Mountain Coffee exports are graded: No.1, No.2, No.3, and Peaberry.

Beginning in 1960, the Jamaican Blue Mountain region suffered hurricane damage that destroyed most plantation facilities and coffee trees. Foreign capital, including from Japan, provided assistance and obtained shares in most plantations along with preferential import rights. During this time, to protect the reputation of the national treasure-grade Blue Mountain Coffee, the Jamaican government kept the Wallenford plantation state-owned and transferred some CIB regulatory functions to Wallenford. The Wallenford plantation became synonymous with the CIB, shouldering the mission of managing and innovating the coffee industry, with plantation managers appointed by government departments.

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