Gabriel de Clieu, Father of coffee in Brazil

Today, Meal Zense could like to introduce a non-famous but extremely important person in coffee industrial, Gabriel de Clieu, whom brought coffee into Brazil.

Gabriel de Clieu

The full name of Gabriel de Clieu is Gabriel-Mathieu Francois D'ceus de Clieu. De Clieu was a French naval officer and the governor of Guadeloupe from 1737 to 1752 and the founder of Pointe-à-Pitre, and he is mainly credited by bringing coffee to the Americas. De Clieu obtained a coffee plant cutting from the Royal Botanic Garden in Paris and set out to transport it to the French colony of Martinique in 1720. The journey was perilous, with de Clieu having to protect the plant from adverse weather conditions, attacks by pirates, and even an attempted sabotage by a fellow passenger.

Despite the challenges, de Clieu managed to successfully transport the coffee plant to Martinique, where he planted it and began to cultivate it. Over time, the coffee plant thrived in the tropical climate of Martinique, and its cultivation spread to other parts of the Caribbean and eventually to South and Central America.

De Clieu's efforts were instrumental in establishing coffee production in the Americas, and his legacy is still celebrated in the world of coffee today. Many coffee shops and roasters pay homage to de Clieu by naming coffee blends or drinks after him, and he is often cited as an example of the power of passion and dedication in pursuit of a goal.

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