After a series of dictatorships ruled the country, Jean-Bertrand Aristide became Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991. Still, violent uprisings are common today, following the centuries of instability that reaped a culture of struggle for survival.

The past two years have been particularly violent. "Kidnappings, murders and rapes are part of our daily lives in Haiti, and it is almost impossible to find a Haitian who hasn't been a victim either directly or indirectly," says Stephan Jean-Pierre, a Haitian native and executive director of the country's Federation of Native Coffee Associations (FACN). "At FACN, the wife of our project manager was kidnapped and they had to pay a ransom, more than one year of his salary. Our banker was fatally shot last month. A good friend of mine was also murdered last month just for being at the wrong place. I lost track of the number of people I know that have been kidnapped in the past year."

Such accounts are appalling at best. But despite the seemingly insurmountable, there is cause for hope today in Haiti. Cultivation of specialty coffee is earning the island worldwide attention-a trend that could help transcend the present and the past.

Up until 11 years ago, France and Italy were the only major buyers of Haitian coffees. The two countries were purchasing quality natural coffees because at the time there were no washed coffees of particular merit being produced on the island. Haiti had a reputation in the United States for poor quality and shipments that did not match prior samples. "That was a common story in the industry," says Gary Talboy, cofounder of Coffee Bean International and director of Specialty Coffee Consultants. "Whether it was true or not, that was the reputation."

To counter the damaged state of Haitian coffees in the world market, USAID created a program that would raise the quality of Haiti's washed coffees. Coffee processing mills were built, classes on improving coffee growing practices were held, and a coffee nursery was created to distribute trees. Talboy became involved in setting up processing plants and quality control and standards, as well as marketing what would become Haiti's first specialty coffee brand. Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) provided training in business and sustainable farming methods.

Now, Haiti's coffee industry hase taken on new vitality in the form of an arabical typical brand called Haitian Bleu®. The brand name is owned by the farmers, who have been vertically integrated through their ownership of the brand and membership in the Federation of Native Coffee Associations (FACN) to eliminate dependency on export, processing and other, less sustainable agricultural products. "They were just a group of 300 farmers (in the beginning) with nine or 10 wet mills under a democratic system that brought fair and open business practices," says Talboy.

In addition to introducing wet mills, FACN ensures Haitian Bleu®'s specialty grade status with numerous cuppings and physical evaluations. "The cupping-blending process is absolutely critical," says Jean-Pierre. "We have a small country, but lots of microclimates and a great diversity of cup profiles. For instance, some medium-altitude areas close to the sea have a sweet, full-bodied chocolate flavor, while higher altitudes often give us coffees with more acidity and exceptional aromas." By taking the best coffees from each microclimate, FACN creates a regional signature that captures the most desirable characteristics of each zone.

At any rate, the pride taken in the coffee is evident. The farms that grow and own Haitian Bleu® are small, forest-shaded plots in the mountainous regions of Haiti. Chemical-free cultivation methods are used, in which coffee trees are interspersed with food crops such as yams and beans, as well as fruit trees.

Though Haiti is a country that has suffered centuries of deforestation and erosion, the farms of Haitian Bleu® producers have preserved some of the last stands of forest in the country, which protect against sun and soil erosion. Farmers are seeing the payoff for taking the necessary steps to ensure good crop yields. "When they realize that they are personally responsible for the export of a world-class brand of coffee that they grow, process and most importantly own, and that there are no private coffee exporters in Haiti that can say the same thing, you bet they care," says Jean-Pierre.

The efforts of USAID, DAI and FACN provided a starting point for Haitian specialty coffee. But how were producers able to start selling their coffee-at a premium-with no examples of success or a reputation to support such a venture over the last 200 years?

From the beginning, Talboy circumvented the C Market to create a sustainable price over time. He promised FACN that if they could produce high-quality coffees, he would find roasters to buy them at fair prices. He kept the number of roasters to just five, a group he knew would be dedicated to providing a market for Haitian Bleu®.

Talboy came up with a five-year contract with a set price. "Of course, incentives were necessary for the roasters to agree to pay a premium and to promote the coffee with a lot of energy," he says. He provided the roasters with guaranteed territories, where the farms would not sell direct into the roasters' territories. "This gave the roasters a competitive tool, where they had a product that other local roasters didn't have, which gave incentive to promote it." In addition to the price guarantee, there is a supply guarantee: If a roaster buys 20 percent of this year's crop, the roaster is guaranteed the same percentage next year, even if the volume goes up.

This arrangement has been in place since 1995, guaranteeing FACN's farmers a contractually fixed FOB price that is well above the fair-trade floor price of $1.26 per pound. The relationship has withstood falling world coffee market prices. The farmers and roasters are true partners in an effort to preserve and improve the activity that underpins their livelihoods.

All of the roasters that originally signed on still are participating. "It was worth it to us [to pay above fair-trade pricing], even though the market was fairly low at the time the project started, to be one of the few to carry the coffee," says Paul Thornton, roastmaster for Coffee Bean International. The roasters have paid above the fair-trade price for the coffee since the beginning, and it has been fair-trade certified for the last five years.

The farmers and roasters have worked hard to produce and promote Haitian Bleu®. Their efforts have resulted in increased exposure for other Haitian coffees as well. "We had high quality from the beginning," says Talboy, "but now the quality is even better." Development of this leader for Haitian coffee that gets a high price has created incentive in the private sector to invest in Haitian coffees, and not just Haitian Bleu®.

Now, other farmers in Haiti are taking notice of Haitian Bleu®'s success, and those who are well-located and willing to farm under the proper conditions are being brought into the fold at FACN to increase volume of the Haitian Bleu® brand. Each wet processor is paid for the quality of what they produce. If only half of a farmer's coffee is graded at the Haitian Blue® standard, they receive the corresponding premium price for that half. However, there is a market for any that is not included in Haitian Bleu®, and it also sells out every year, at or above the fair-trade price.