‘Tis The Season!

Cafe Vega coffee ready for the Christmas rush!

It’s that time of year again when lots of requests come in (on short notice) for locally produced coffee as gifts for family, friends and clients. This year, the demand was even higher than in previous years, likely due to the increased awareness on the superior flavour of Cafe Vega coffee and the recommendations from our ever expanding clientele. To all our friends, clients and well-wishers, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support over the years and wish you and yours a happy, safe and bountiful Christmas Season!

Coffee Production in 2024

The weather in the past few years has been quite different from the normal pattern of previous decades, but especially so in 2023...the intense rains followed by a period of intense heat (in the rainy season), showing record elevated, ambient air temperatures have confused lots of fruit bearing trees. Some trees, for example mangoes, have borne ripe fruits twice in the same year, in the same physical location...early in February and again in August.

Coffee trees in central Trinidad, seem not to have kept much of the flowers produced earlier in the year, with three distinct flowering periods observed...February, March and April. The Robusta crop usually harvested from January to March of each year, seem rather poor for 2024. A similar low production was observed elsewhere in the country.

Historical Observations

Historical records on coffee growing in Trinidad have noted that there is a multi-year cycle of very low production among coffee trees...in the period 1869 to 1880s it was noted as a nine-year cycle of drought like conditions. However, other observations in the late 1800s indicated that there may also be a 3-4 year low bearing cycle...no explanations in the historical records were offered for this cycle. Perhaps it was related to an EL Niño/La Niña event, which was not known in those days!

We will see what the New Year brings and what the actual production will be at the end of the harvesting season. But rest assured...there will be adequate supplies for our regular customers!

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