Brewing Freedom: Honoring Juneteenth and Unveiling Coffee’s Complex History with Slavery

On Juneteenth, we celebrate emancipation — Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, TX (the last stronghold of the Confederacy) finally learned they were free...a full two and half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. We rejoice anytime those held against their will under coercive mechanisms are free, it is certainly worth our attention. It may surprise you to discover that our favorite beverage... coffee, has historically been at the center of systems which profited from enslavement. I wish I could say global coffee systems are now completely free from slavery, but that would not be the truth. Modern slavery practices are still, sadly, alive and well across the supply chain.

The Bitter Roots of a Global Brew

Coffee, first cultivated in Ethiopia with further development of plants and beverage production happening in Yemen, took root as a global commodity through systems of colonization and forced labor. By the 17th and 18th centuries, coffee plantations spread throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The labor that fueled these vast estates was almost entirely enslaved.

Haiti (Saint-Domingue) once produced over half the world’s coffee in the 18th century, in large part due to brutal plantation systems worked by enslaved Africans. Duke researchers estimate that up to 90% of the Haitian population were enslaved. The conditions were so inhumane that mortality rates were astronomical, between 6-10% annually, with 50% of new arrivals dying within the first year of arrival. This prolific coffee empire collapsed during the Haitian Revolution, the world’s first successful slave revolt, led by Toussaint Louverture. This long, hard fought bid for freedom permanently altered the coffee trade due to the destruction of farms and struck a complex blow to slavery-driven capitalism.

Brazil, now the world’s largest coffee producer, maintained slavery well into the late 1800s. Coffee fueled Brazil’s economy and enriched European merchants — at the cost of the dignity and freedom of millions.

While slavery in the Caribbean and South America was prominent in the coffee lands, many here is the States do not see how our own systems and gravitation toward slavery-driven enterprise touched U.S. coffee trade. Let’s take a look.

America’s Cup: Slavery’s Role in U.S. Coffee Trade

Though coffee wasn’t grown in the continental U.S., its trade and consumption were deeply tied to slavery. Enslaved dock workers offloaded coffee beans at Southern ports, enslaved labor processed sugar to sweeten the brew, and many enslaved cooks served coffee to their enslavers in plantation kitchens.

As coffee became a staple of American life, its enjoyment often masked the labor and suffering embedded in its journey.

Brewing Justice: What Juneteenth Calls Us to Do

Celebrating Juneteenth is not only about honoring the resilience of the black and mixed-race communities — it's about reimagining the future.

For those of us in the coffee industry, that means asking hard questions:- Where does our coffee come from?- Who grows it, and under what conditions?- Are we supporting systems that exploit, or ones that empower?

Modern slavery still exists in supply chains, including coffee. Low wages, debt bondage, child labor — these are present-day injustices that echo the past. Juneteenth demands that we not only remember slavery’s horror but also dismantle its legacy in the global economy, so that all people are honored, dignity is preserved, and all are allowed to work in freedom without coercion and fear.

Moving Forward: A Juneteenth Commitment from the Coffee Community

As an expert on the intersection of slavery and coffee, I urge roasters, baristas, and consumers alike to:

1. Source from farms that pay living wages and uphold labor rights. 2. Support Black-owned coffee businesses and cooperatives. (CUTE COFFEE IS AN AMAZING EXAMPLE) 3. Educate your teams and customers about coffee’s colonial history. 4. Advocate for transparency in supply chains and invest in long-term relationships with producers. 5. Celebrate Juneteenth not just with words, but with action. What may seem like a small step in choosing coffee with intention becomes encouragement and freedom for someone else.

Conclusion: Liberation in Every Cup

Juneteenth is a call to remember — but also a call to reimagine and build on honor.

Every time we sip a cup of coffee, we are engaging with a history that is both bitter and beautiful. Let us ensure that our modern coffee trade honors the legacy of those who were enslaved by committing to a future rooted in justice, equity, and dignity.

Let us brew freedom — not just for the past, but for every farmer, every worker, and every generation to come.