Above: coffee in Haiti

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is partnering with the Clinton Foundation to support Haiti’s coffee sector.

Thanks to an initiative between Four Seasons, the Clinton Foundation, Leslois Shaw Foundation and La Colombe Torrefaction, the Four Seasons hotels in New York and Toronto will begin serving Haitian coffee sourced by La Colombe Torrefaction.

The coffee served will be an heirloom typica variety, which is grown “semi-wild” in the mountains near Thiotte.

Additionally, the Clinton Foundation and La Colombe, with support from Leslois Shaw Foundation, have announced the launch of the Haiti Coffee Academy, a model coffee farm located in a primary coffee-growing region in Haiti.

“The Haiti Coffee Academy will carry on the tradition of Haitian coffee by teaching a new generation the skills of the trade,” former US President Bill Clinton said in a statement.

“This agreement with La Colombe, the Leslois Shaw Foundation, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will not only showcase one of Haiti’s finest exports, but will also provide access to new markets for Haitian coffee farmers.”

While coffee is not as successful as it was for Haiti in earlier decades, the industry is on the upswing, and remains the main source of income for over 100,000 farmers in Haiti.

“Quality coffee is an important part of a hotel visit for many of our guests,” said Christopher Hunsberger, Executive Vice President, Global Product and Innovation at Four Seasons. “By procuring coffee from La Colombe and partnering with the Clinton Foundation and Leslois Shaw Foundation, we hope that Four Seasons can play a part in the revitalization of Haiti’s coffee trade.”

The moves come three years after Haiti’s earthquake, when Four Seasons employees raised $300,000 for relief funds later donated to Doctors Without Borders and the Canadian Red Cross.