Costa Rica in a Cup

In 1804, Governor Tomás de Acosta began lobbying his superiors at the Capitanía General de Guatemala for permission to plant coffee as a crop in Costa Rica. Granted the privilege, don Tomás imported 6 lbs. of green coffee beans for planting from Panamá in 1808. Shortly thereafter, Father Félix Velarde began to cultivate the coffee beans in his garden, and went door-to-door to encourage his neighbors in San José to plant coffee in their gardens, as well. Thus, cultivation of coffee in Costa Rica was begun.

From the early 1820’s until the early 1840’s, English sea captains based in Valparaíso, Chile, carried Costa Rican coffee to Europe.