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The Introduction of Coffee to Brazil
1727
Currently, Brazil is the country with the largest export of coffee. In 2022, Brazilian coffee exports amounted to about $8.86 billion, and its main destinations were all developed countries: United States, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Japan.[1]
However, coffee is generally considered to have originated in Ethiopia and is therefore an alien plant to the country. In 1727, Portuguese Lieutenant Colonel Francisco de Melo Palheta introduced coffee seeds from France to Brazil, and with them came a legend of a romantic affair and smuggling case awaiting verification.[2] He started the first plantation in Pará.[3] There was no large-scale planting at that time.
18th Century
Coffee Plantations in São Paulo
Around 1770
The soil and climate in São Paulo were perfect for planting coffee. Since around 1770, the coffee plantation started to spread on this land. [3] São Paulo has been the heart of coffee plantations and economy of Brazil. It is the coffee industry that has enabled it to achieve the political and economic leadership it has today, making it the richest and most populous state in Brazil.
Before Entering the 19th Century
You may want to know...
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Two facts: (1) Brazil did not gain independence until 1822, despite Portuguese colonists claiming the land as early as 1500; and
(2) the foundation of Brazil was built on the enslavement of Indigenous peoples and Black people. -
Expanding on these, many enslaved people were forcibly brought to Brazil by white colonists. During the Iberian Union, Portugal and Spain collaborated, further intensifying the enslavement of both Indigenous peoples and Black individuals, which provided sufficient labor and support the rapid development of coffee industry in this country. However, in turn, contributed to Brazil's racial diversity while also deepening class and racial inequalities within society.[3]
19th Century
Independence of Brazil
1822
The person in the banner is Pedro I, who proclaimed the Brazil independence on September 7, 1822.
The independence and the following politics were encouraging to Brazil's coffee industry and provided a stable and safe breeding ground for it. The independence itself and following policies and investment to build roads boosted the coffee trade. Moreover, Brazil's coffee trade was no longer restricted by Portugal!
All of these allowed coffee to become the main export industry and thrive as the backbone of the economy, but at a cost...
Coffee Cyle
1830s-1890s
Coffee cycle refers to a period in which coffee was the main export product of the Brazilian economy. So do the gold and sugar cycles.
The rise of know gold cycle after sugar, centered around the trade in diamonds and gold, made agriculture much less important in Brazil. As the mining industry started to collapse, coffee took over the important status in Brazil economy, ended Brazil's economic crisis and made the agriculture revive again. The coffee cycle began since 1830s and lasted to 1890s, with São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro at its core. [3][4]
Significant Influence
The coffee cycle shaped the political and economic development of the Southeast, especially the state of São Paulo. Coffee became the top export in Brazil, participating in the capitalist, commercial international landscape. Comparing with other cities and states, those of coffee entered industrialization and became the centers of urbanization and industrialization.[4] This is considered the very beginning of urbanization and industrializations of Brazil. The profound influence on areas such as São Paulo continues to now. The southeast region has the highest level of development now.
Abolishment of Slavery
1831-1888
The boom cost. When it comes to the cost behind the coffee boom, slavery cannot be ignored, which was an abundant source of cheap labour for the coffee industry and took about half a century to be completely abolished. As we have known earlier, Brazil rose on slavery and colonization initially. Brazilian economy and its people couldn't break away from their dependence on slavery fast enough because it was a historical and cultural issue.
According to Reichmann, one serious issue during the reign of Pedro II was right the solution of slavery: more and more Brazilian started to resist slavery, but there were others, especially the plantation owners, believed that Brazilian economy relied on slave labour and they would go bankrupt without slave labour[3]. A law of 1831 prohibited slavery trade, but in practice the law remained a formality mainly because Brazilian magistrates were also involved in and benefited from the slave trade.[4] Many policies were proposed and testified but failed in Brazil until the law of 1850 came out. Then it took more than 30 years to eliminate the existing slaver labour.
On May 13, 1888, Brazil completely abolished slavery, becoming the last country in the Western Hemisphere to do so. After the end of slavery, Brazil had to seek to other labour. Its coffee industry turned to immigrant labour.
1880s, Immigration Boom
Immigration was a part of the solution to make up for the labor and increased costs due to the abolition of slavery. Brazil received more than 5 million immigrants during the transform of its labour and industrialization.[5] Most of these immigrants came between 1880s and 1920s.[6] Immigrants were attracted by the open policy to come to this land. They were penniless and had to worked up to land ownership.[3]
Reflection
Although slavery and immigration provided a large labour force, promoted the rapid development of Brazil economy and led to Brazil's ethnic and cultural diversity, it also caused land ownership distribution, more competition and inequality in the labour market. Exploitation never disappeared but shifted and spread in more groups. The issue of systemic racism persisted effect lasting until now.
The Great Depression caused a collapse in global coffee prices, leading to a drop by about 60% in the price of Brazil coffee, which further caused the military coup d'etat of Getulio Vargas in 1930. During the military coup, the political power of the coffee barons were weakened. Under Vargas' leadership, Brazil began a period of rapid industrialization driven by the state rather than by individuals, regions, or single industries.[7] But coffee and agriculture were not as popular and glorous as they used to be.
1930s, The Fall Due to Great Depression
Peak and Trough
1920s, Peak of Coffee Market
Coffee production peaked in the 1920s, when Brazil produced 80% of the world’s coffee, half of which was produced in São Paulo. This result proved that plantation owners' fears of going bankrupt by losing slavery were misplaced.
During this period, the Southeast developed policies related to and supported immigration and the coffee industry that distinguished it from the Northeast. [4]
20th Century
Recovery - Mechanization and Diversification
1950s
Based on the previous, we may consider industrialization as a great one of the reasons for the decline of the Brazil's coffee industry, but industrialization also helped the recovery of the coffee industry later. Thanks to the scientific breeding, productive cultivars were developed since 1950s, for example, mondo novo was the first in 1952 and catuaí in 1972. This alleviated the extremely low productivity levels in Brazil's coffee, which had long been shielded from competition. Meantime, the development of mechanized harvesting has alleviated the scarcity of manual harvesting labor during urbanization and industrialization.[7]
Here is a video of a quick look at modern harvesting of coffee. Click to play it.
Late 20th Century to Present
Deforestation
Crimes
Climate
Addictiveness
......
History is a record of culture. Let us get closer to Brazil’s coffee culture.
Cultural Influences
Closure
-History and Culture
To understand a subject under the influences of humans, perspectives from history and culture are necessary. History provides the context and events that shape culture, which in turn influences how people interpret and remember history. These views can shift along the development of our society, however, to Brazilian coffee, humans have always been a powerful force behind the influence. People have made these beans glorious, but have also brought them into decline and stigma. Human has changed the fate of these beans, and vice versa in Brazil.
Looking back at the history of coffee in Brazil, we have seen that the role coffee plays under human decisions and actions is dynamic and ever-changing, among which the most prominent are economic and political. To some extent, these transformations have shaped this country and its culture, including its cultural identity. It has pushed the country towards modernization, but it has also come along with issues of exploitation, environmental degradation and systemic inequality. Some people criticize that coffee is still a huge complex of historical problems and a dark mark of human beings from top to bottom, from the country to individuals, but some people think that daily coffee may dilute or forget these bloody facts.
However, will ignoring this not lead to bad consequences in the future? The problems that are still going on are evidence. People should be aware of these negative effects that humans have caused and consider how to change and repair the existing situation.
Let's learn more in the next chapter, legal and political.