Talking about the history of coffee complex. There are several theories and conspiracies, but one thing is for sure: coffee is a worldwide passion! Although there is no official record of how coffee was first consumed or who discovered this richness, it is said that an Ethiopian shepherd noticed the change in the behavior of his goats and sheep when they ate the coffee leaves and its reddish-yellow fruits. Until then, an unknown plant was making his herd more excited and with a lot of energy, as they chewed the fruits. It is a long story. It goes through the monks, through discovery, religion, through the pulp consumed in meals, through fermentation in alcoholic beverages and so on. There are some records stating that coffee consumption began around 575 AC. Despite being a fruit of African origin, it was in Arabia that cultivation began and gained worldwide proportions. The name “coffee” comes from the Arabic word “qahwa”, which means “wine”, as it was called the “Arabian wine”. Also there, the infusion of coffee was named “kahwah” or “cahue”, which means “coffee”, originating the name. This information is dated back to 575 AC, where the oldest manuscripts mentioned coffee growing in Yemen – an Arab country at the southwest end of the Arabian Peninsula.
As the biggest coffee producers at the time, the Arabs took measures to maintain the dominance of the product's commercialization, such as selling it only roasted. In 1475, the first coffee shop in the world appeared: the Kiva Han, in ancient Constantinople – that is now known as Istanbul, making the expansion of Islam as the first beneficiaries of the product. Then, it spread around the world. From Arabia it was taken to Egypt in the 16th century. In 1554, it was already known by Europeans, as the protective barriers were broken by the Dutch, who managed to smuggle the fresh fruit and started to cultivate it in their Asian colonies - Java, Ceylon and Sumatra. In Europe, coffee was initially consumed as a medicine to combat sickness. Only from the 17th century that it began to be assumed as a beverage. In the 18th century, coffee gained international importance and became a luxury beverage, mainly in France, England and later in the United States. In the South American continent, the first seedlings came from the Botanical Garden of Amsterdam, through the Dutch military, and were cultivated in Suriname - formerly Dutch Guiana. With in the increase in production and improvement in the standard of living and social life in industrialized countries, coffee ceased to be a luxury product and became widespread among the population.
Coffee in Brazil
They say that the first Brazilian plants originated in the Palace of Versailles. They say that after they were planted in Paris by Louis XIV – the king of France who had the longest reign in the history of mankind, the coffee seedlings were taken to Guyanese territory (French Guiana), by the French government. When visiting the country around 1720, the Brazilian sergeant major Francisco e Mello, under the pretext of being territorial settlers, approached the wife of the governor of the capital Cayenne and, after have gained her trust, got a seedling of Arabic coffee and brought clandestinely to Belém do Pará. Thus, the first coffee seedlings and seeds appeared in Brazil. Later on, it went to Maranhão, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Paraná and São Paulo, where it strengthened in the latter.
Due to our soil, relief and climatic conditions, in the 19th century the coffee culture spread more strongly in the Paraíba Valley – which covers regions in the state of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where a considerable portion of Brazil’s GDP is concentrated. A new economic cycle in the country started, generating wealth, new habits and customs. The coffee culture promoted the development of Brazil, as the country's economy was going through a period of great difficulty due to the decline of the sugar and mining economy. The coffee culture recovered the Brazilian economy and placed the country in the world Market. In 1850, Brazil was already the world's largest coffee producer, with 40% of total production. With the inclusion of production in the international market, coffee became the main product of the country's exports and for almost a century it was the main national wealth. At the time, Vassouras - a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, was considered the coffee capital of the world. Coffee then became a daily habit, not only in Brazil, but in the whole world!