People often ask us why our coffee company is named 1804 Coffee Co. We probably need to take a minute and clarify it’s not simply a cool collection of numbers trying to show the age of our company, or relate to an age gone by.
Haiti was the first black country in history to gain their independence. Haiti was a French colony, but a rebellion forced the negotiation of independence and freedom for Haiti. Freedom came at a price, Haiti purchased their freedom, and financed it through the sale of coffee.
We love the strength and resilience of the Haitian people, and what 1804 represents to them. We know the name 1804 Coffee elicits a courage in Haitians, and a pride of their finest moment in history. Today Haiti doesn’t have many fine moments. The earthquake that killed nearly 300,000 people, the Cholera outbreak, tent cities, and poverty.
Sometimes resilience can turn into resignation, and Haitian people can accept the life they have been handed. We would prefer to hand them back some hope. So as we work with farmers and cooperatives, introducing our company to them, they find it encouraging that we picked the name 1804 Coffee Co. We want our company bringing them hope, and reminding the world of the hight points of Haiti, not just the devastation.
As you read these blogs and view our photos, you will learn about their coffee culture, but also about the beauty of the countryside, the people, the food and their culture. Maybe as we change the farmers mindset about the country they live in, we can counteract the negative media and bring some positive context about Haiti to our readers.
From everyone here at 1804 Coffee Co, we say “liberty and justice for all.”
