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 their Story.
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.
The architectural 'bones' of the present Casona are largely unchanged from the house you see in this photo, taken sometime 1920’s. Notice the roof.. Hurricane Felipe Segundo removed it in the late 1920’s, however, the house itself survived and was fitted with its more structurally-sound current roof.
The Corsican immigrants' skillfully adapted European carpentry to island terrain and materials and built strong structures well suited for the highlands' extreme conditions. In 1924 Juan Masini Pietri cofounded the Cooperativa Cafeteros de Yauco to improve Yauco caficultores' resources, quality, and conditions for coffee culture.
As coffee modernized into the late 20th century, it spurred a second coffee technological revolution: new technologies, heated dryers, power sources, synthetic fertilizers, and chemical weed and pest controls all pushed productivity, but could not overcome challenges of depopulation, disease, and global labor shifts.
In the 1960's the farm began to expand its nursery operations, developing practices and expertise that have ensured Hacienda Masini is at the forefront of quality and innovation. Now the farm is pivoting to total agriculture, expanding into agroforestry to integrate food and other valued crops into the farm's existing systems, hoping to help the island with food and resource independency.
At the close of the 20th century, the farm faced challenges of disease, decay, management, and coffee viability. Starting in 1996, Angela Masini took ownership and began conservation and agricultural factions, began the current charge starting in 1996
In bad repair and no longer used, guest quarters and processing space was deconstructed and salvaged to repair other damaged sections. The preservation of this legacy requires skilled craftspeople, endemic materials, and commitment to sustaining original techniques and practices.
In 2017 the farm was on track to realize its most significant yields in decades when Hurricane Maria destroyed nearly everything. In addition to near total loss of all plants, hundreds of landslides wiped out water and power lines and prevented access to harvest damaged crops. We are thankful to our neighbors and friends who have helped us regain footing after Maria.
Today, Hacienda Masini operates as a highland center for enlightened coffee research, culture, and community. By combining conservation with experimentation, Hacienda Masini is helping grow a resilient future for Puerto Rico. We are actively experimenting with soil conservation, erosion control, coffee agro-forestry systems, climate-smart coffee, and education.
The main casona, consisting of an upper formal house joined ingeniously to a lower coffee processing infrastructure, has been the heart of living and coffee operations for seven generations. In 2021, the upper house will be opened for extraordinary stays. Receive notice by signing up here.
Today, Hacienda Masini operates as a specialty coffee nursery and producer, growing plants for area farmers and producing small batches of specialty coffee with commitment to the highest standards in product quality, fair practices, and land stewardship.
"La Ruta Lenta..." Hacienda Masini embraces slow tourism and its ideas and approaches to sustainable tourism. We support an experience that integrates destination with travel and approach, and conservation with education and recreation.
An endings starts... A start ends... Hacienda Masini, 2021
