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Corsica & Coffee
The stories of Coffee and Corsica come together at Hacienda Masini.
PUERTO RICO
18°N 67°W
9,104 km2
1,340 m (4,390 ft)
San Juan (pop. 2,350,126)
Taino 1000AD to 1500
Spain 1500’s to 1898
USA 1898-present
CORSICA
42°N 9°E
8,722 km2
2,706 m (8878 ft)
Ajaccio (pop. 63,723)
Roman 500BC to 1100AD
Genoa 1100-1700
France 1700-present
The Corsican Migration
Political turmoil and Spanish opportunity enticed many Corsicans to immigrate to Puerto Rico in the 19th century. Spain’s Royal Decree of 1815 offered Spanish and French settlers interior lands in Puerto Rico in hopes of supporting their colonial empire.
Rio Yauco, 1900’s
Yauco, P-R. Corsican Town. Coffee Town.
Brought to Puerto Rico in 1736, coffee rapidly fueled colonization in the highlands, Yauco, new and new customs based on its agriculture, production, and celebration. It
Corsicans settled the remote and rugged highlands above Yauco and helped pioneer the island’s coffee industry, helping Yauco become an early colonial center for culture and global coffee commerce.
Yauco, 1910’s
150 Years & Counting
The Masini family emigrated to the remote Rubias highlands above Yauco in 1857 and has been producing coffee ever since.
This is its Story…
The bones of the present Casona are largely unchanged from the house you see in this photo, taken early 1920’s.
Notice the roof.. Hurricane Felipe Segundo removed it in the late 1920’s, however, the house itself survived and was adapted to its more structurally sound present roof.
Emigration
Brothers Domingo Felipe (1834-1899) and Pablo Francisco (1844-1909) Pietri emigrated to Yauco from Olmeta-di-Capocorso, Corsica in 1857 and 1868 to settle lands offered to supporters of the Spanish Crown.
Domingo Masini Pietri (1869-1928) and Juan Masini Pietri (1873-1937) followed their uncles from Corsica to Yauco in the 1880’s to help their uncles manage the farm that would become Hacienda Masini.
Exploitation
The Corsican immigrants were skilled carpenters and built strong structures in the highlands suited to extreme conditions.
This inventive and careful craftsmanship is one reason Hacienda Masini’s Casona, constructed 1860’s, has survived major hurricanes, earthquakes, insects & decay.
in 1924 of the Cooperativa Cafeteros de Yauco
Renewal
Restoration of Hacienda Masini’s architecture and infrastructure legacies, initiated 1992, continues today...
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150 Years of Cooperative Coffee Culture & Counting
American Colony
In 1898, the United States took possession of Puerto Rico from Spain, opening a new chapter of culture and trade.
Coffee modernized in the late 20th century and faced challenges of depopulation, disease, and neo-liberal labor shifts.
American Colony
In 1898, the United States took possession of Puerto Rico from Spain, opening a new chapter of culture and trade.
Coffee modernized in the late 20th century and faced challenges of depopulation, disease, and neo-liberal labor shifts.
Corsican Migration
Spanish leyes laws. collapse of Corsican independence. two islands. coffee..?
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Yauco
highlands. Paris of the east. epicenter of PR coffee. shield. stairs.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Preserving a Legacy
Restoration of Hacienda Masini’s architecture and infrastructure legacies, initiated 1992, continues today...
Early Stewards
pioneering soil conservation. agroforestry research.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Today
Hacienda Masini operates as a highland center for enlightened coffee research, culture, and community
Resilient Agro-Ecologies
Today, Hacienda Masini operates as a highland center for enlightened coffee research, culture, and community. By combining conservation with experimentation, Hacienda Masini is helping build a more resilient future for Puerto Rico.
We are actively experimenting with soil conservation, erosion control, coffee agro-forestry systems, climate-smart coffee, and education.
Slow Tourism
La Ruta Lenta. An idea and approach to sustainable tourism. Imagining an experience that integrates travel, arrival, and destination.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
A Legacy of Production
Seven generations of producing coffee for island farmers.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Looking to the next 100 Years
Our story continues through attention to our critical legacies, culture, and environment…
Corsican Migration
Spanish leyes laws. collapse of Corsican independence. two islands. coffee..?
Applying Research
Hacienda Masini actively supports research on highland coffee, environment, and culture