Third Wave coffee roaster in the Caribbean
- Barbados was one of the first British colonies in 1625, where mainly sugar cane, tobacco and cotton were cultivated.
- After the British colony of Suriname was handed over to the Dutch in 1667, many Jews moved to Barbados to retain their British citizenship.
- Many Jewish settlers cultivated sugar and coffee at that time.
- Today, however, coffee is no longer cultivated on the island.
- Even though Barbados tends to drink tea, coffee is becoming increasingly popular and is therefore imported.
Advertisment
- And even the Third Wave arrived in Barbados.
- The West India Coffee Company was founded in 1998. By 2005, they opened 4 cafes.
- As leading specialty coffee roasters with coffees from around the world, they not only supply coffee to the local hotels, restaurants and Barbados coffee shops, but also train the Baristi.
- In 2001, Dominic and Mandy Wyndham-Gittens opened a small café.
- In 2012, on a trip to Portland, they came into contact with the third coffee wave and, since 2014, have been roasting specialty coffee themselves – Wyndhams Bajan Crafted Coffee.
Barbados Coffee: Preparation
As I said, there is not really a coffee drinking culture in Barbados. For that I have found a great coffee cocktail recipe for you.
Barbados Coffee
- 180 ml of hot coffee
- 30 ml Coconut Spiced Rum Cream
- 30 ml Banana Rum
- whipped cream
For advertising links on this page the dealer may pay a commission. These advertising links are marked with an asterisk (*) – images and banners are marked with “Ads” or “Advertisment”. There are no costs for you. Find more information in the data protection regulations here.
My ancestor Waterman went to Barbados and had a coffee plantation, according to family lore. Does anyone have information about his coffee plantation in Barbados? I would greatly appreciate any information. Thank you, Joan Canby
Hi Joan, thanks for writing. I checked it, but as cultivation of coffee was stopped ages ago and information about coffee on Barbados is quite rare, I could not find any farm going back on your ancestor Waterman. However I found a younger man called Charles Duncan Waterman who was born in Barbados and immigrated to Canada in 1982. Maybe it is worth it to contact him. Good luck with it.
Best,
Daniela
Dear Sirs,
I have been doing coffee research for a book on the arrival of coffee to the Caribbean, Barbados and Martinique. In a book published in 1727 it appears that a Captain Young took a coffee plant from Suriname to Barbados in 1720. That’s the same year that Gabriel Matthew DeClieux takes a Java coffee plant to Martinique. I find it very interesting that in your article you mention that Jewish settlers were cultivating coffee in Barbados after 1667. This would be a very interesting discovery since coffee was supposed to have arrived in Martinique in 1720 or 1723, claiming to be the first in the West Indies. I would like to include in my book some coffee history of Barbados. If you have any old photos or documents I would like to include them in the book. Hoping to receive any information you may provide.
Sincerely, John Sotomayor
Moca, PR
Hey John,
thanks for your comment and explanation. The only source I found online described that in 1667, many Jews moved to Barbados and engaged in coffee cultivation. The exact year, when the first plants arrived in Barbados I could not find, unfortunately. The source for 1667 is linked in my article.
In the book “La Aventura del Cafe” from Felipe Ferré I can also only find the information French captain Gabriel-Mathieu de Clieu brought the first coffee plants to America, to Martinique in 1723…As Barbados is not mentioned too often in any source I know I assume coffee arrived here later.
If you find a concrete year, when coffee plant arrived on Barbados, please share with me.
Thanks a lot!
Best, Daniela