With many social activities organized, mainly in Dame Marie, including for example financial donations to hospitals, formation and... Read more
After the 2010 earthquake that affected the Haitian economy, the company chose to strengthen its position by making other partnerships with new autonomous farmers in... Read more
Making sure that our coffee is prepared in an ethical way, in the respect of fair-trade practices, is a priority for Geo Wiener S.A.... Read more
Haitian Coffee
Independent since 1804, the former French colony Haiti is essentially involved in agricultural production, with more than two third of its population engaged in this activity.Coffee was introduced in the country in 1725, and became, after sugar cane, the mainstay of the national economy after the independence. It represents an important part of agriculture. Its exploitation requires more than 100 000 hectares of land (3,6 % of the territory), and employs from 175 000 to 200 000 families, grouped in associations or coops.
Haitian coffee, “the Haitian Black Pearl”, the national pride, famous for its rich taste and various aromas, has always interested the international importers.
Mainly of the Typica variety, coming from the original Ethiopian family of arabicas, that has become rare under the American tropics, it is oriented towards more gourmet niche.
Despite an export reduction in the past two decades, coffee remains one of the pillars of the Haitian economy.
Geo Wiener S.A.
Beginning
Providing the exceptional flavors of our mountains’ rich lands, pioneering the exploration of subtle aromas that come from a long expertise in the field, this has been, for over a century, the foundation of a company, which has succeeded to maintain a tradition of excellence developed through several generations.
At Geo Wiener S.A., the history of coffee is originally a family story that began in the 1900s, when George Wiener and his partner and cousin Ben Blanchet started exporting coffee, through “Blanchet et Wiener” in addition to cocoa, an activity they were already involved in, in Dame Marie in the South of the country.
During that time, the coffee trade was growing and profitable for the country, with an annual production reaching a million of bags, and exports close to 600.000 bags.
Thanks to the work of all the factories in Petit Goave, Fond des Nègres, Beaumont, Jérémie and Dame Marie, Geo Wiener et Co. became one of the principal houses of green coffee export. Many European roasters used the “black pearl” to improve the Robusta variety from Africa or Brazil.
Since 1960
In the 1960s, several trade ports in the provincial towns closed. That led the company to close its branch offices in the countryside and focus its operations in the capital.
From then, the export of coffee severely plunged, because of the impact of many factors, such as the quality of coffee going down due to a lack of producers’ management, the decline in demand on the foreign markets, and the decrease in the currency inflow linked to the ports closure.
This fall led Geo Wiener et Co, that became Geo Wiener S.A. in 1996, and its new leaders Robert, Jean-Pierre, Georges and Norman, to extend its activities to go into the preparation of roasted coffee.
Thanks to the commitment and the dynamism of the Wiener’s brothers Norman and Robert, and their nephews Douglas, Théo, Gaëtan and Aïno, Geo Wiener S.A. managed to introduce and create Café Selecto, appreciated by everyone as well as the connoisseurs for its taste and aroma.
2010 – After the earthquake
After the 2010 earthquake that affected the Haitian economy, the company chose to strengthen its position by making other partnerships with new autonomous farmers in other areas of the country, to allow them to become the actors of their own economic development, and to provide them some facilities and equipment of quality.
Our Parnerships - "Grands Crus"
With many social activities organized, mainly in Dame Marie, including for example financial donations to hospitals, formation and technical help provided for the farmers specialized in the coffee and cocoa cultivations, with the partnership of the European Union and the USAID, Geo Wiener S.A. is trying to support producers so that it could help them increase the quality of their production.
For this company, and especially for Norman Wiener, a resurgence of the agro-industry sector implies a return to the source, meaning the consideration of the farmers.
It is in that perspective that Geo Wiener S.A. launched an innovative partnership with ADAIB (Association for the Development Agro-Industrial of Beaumont) in 2007, for the preparation and the commercialization of a high quality coffee, fully washed, the “Grand Cru de Beaumont”.
Geo Wiener S.A. has radically changed its relationships with groups of autonomous farmers, organized in associations or coops. The company has become an essential partner, involved in all the steps of the coffee’s value chain.
Concerned with working with the farmers on an equal level, and providing them an efficient post harvest processing service, Geo Wiener S.A. has since then initiated other partnerships. Thus were created two other “grand crus”, the “Grand Cru de Baptiste” and the “Grand Cru de Thiotte”.
Ethical coffee
Making sure that our coffee is prepared in an ethical way, in the respect of fair-trade practices, is a priority for Geo Wiener S.A.
Café Selecto is trying to establish a balance on the national market, so that the hard work of every farmer can be rewarded at its fair price.
Geo Wiener S.A. is willing to provide the best coffee to its consumers through both the traditional coffee from the farmers’ reserve as well as the fully washed coffee (“Grands Crus”) coming from the rigorous selection of the finest cherries.
One objective of the company is to allow the Haitian market to support all the production work of an authentic coffee, and to help develop the autonomy of the local market by creating jobs, in order to offer a coffee that benefits Haitians, because it is produced by Haitians.
With Geo Wiener S.A., more than a simple coffee, it is a way of life, the real unique taste of Haiti that is revealed in each cup…
The "Grands Crus"
- The « Grand Cru of Beaumont », produced in the very high altitude of Grande-Anse mountains.
- The « Grand Cru of Thiotte », produced in the South East.
- The « Grand Cru of Baptiste », produced in the region of Baptiste.
The « Grands Crus » selection, initiated in 2007, aim at expert customers, looking for the delicacy of a coffee with subtle aromas.
BEAUMONT
This « Grand Cru » results from the pioneering partnership between the Association for the Agro-Industrial Development of Beaumont (ADAIB) and the Wiener roasting plant. The washing station from the Desbarrière domain collects the best cherries from this unique terroir.
Cultivated in the most bio-diversified region of the island, this coffee unveils the sweetness of its fruity aroma, its strong taste and every subtlety it has to offer in each cup.
Inspired by the special place where it was harvested, right down the Macaya Peak, the “Grand Cru” of Beaumont is a true gift from our mountains.
Give up to temptation and let this “divine nectar” impress your senses.
THIOTTE:
At the Haut Figuier domain, in the region of Thiotte, time has stopped. Every cup of coffee will bring you 300 years back, with a pure variety of an original Ethiopian coffee.
Thanks to an innovative partnership between the Renaissance Association and the Wiener roasting plant, the rigorously collected cherries are sent on the same day to the coffee washing station, in order to preserve the unique freshness, taste and aroma of this “Grand Cru”, highly appreciated by coffee lovers.
Taste and become a part of History through this coffee from a different time.
BAPTISTE:
The Wiener roasting plant and the Cooperative for the Agricultural Development of Trassahaie (CODAT) united their work to present you the exceptional coffee of Baptiste. From the Trassahaie domain and thanks to a rigorous selection of the fully washed process, this coffee introduced only sixty years ago in the area, still impress the connoisseurs with all the originality and exploration it brings.
Enter the Circle by adopting this terroir, and open yourself to more adventure that will lead you to the borders of unknown, beautiful and mysterious lands, now condensed in a single cup.
The farmers' reserves
High altitude
Selecto Gourmet
Our experience, acquired through several generations, explains the success of the Selecto Gourmet launched in 2000, a high quality Arabica coffee, produced from a unique terroir in Haiti, with a delicate aroma and an excellent flavor with chocolate notes, appreciated by the experts. This coffee was first only consumed within the family, for 4 generations. Eventually it was made available to the public. The Selecto Gourmet offers, with one cup, a wonderful journey within a swirl of unforgettable flavors.
Selecto Tradition
The Selecto Tradition, perfect mix coming from the peaks of the Centre and the Grande-Anse followed a few years later.
Meticulous selection of the farmers’ reserves of natural coffee, coming from high altitude, the Selecto Tradition is a coffee highly appreciated by the Haitian population.
Medium altitude
Kafe Towo
The excellent taste of the kafe Towo is as well popular. Coming from the farmers’ medium altitude reserves, it is one of the last prod
Our Projects
Coffee Shop
Geo Wiener S.A is willing to offer the Haitian population a suitable place to relax, where clients could, with a cup of high quality coffee and pastries forget, for a moment, the stress of the daily life. This concept will be launched starting September 2012, in the national airport.
The objective of the company is to provide customers a place where they could be in direct contact with the knowledge acquired through several years of experience, to allow them to fully appreciate all the subtleties Café Selecto has to offer.
The company has thus developed new alliances and strengthened old ones, to increase the number of coffee shops and patisseries. With the Marie Béliard partnership for example, Geo Wiener is becoming closer to its customers.
Diversification
Geo Wiener S.A. is also looking for diversifying its products, to offer more choices to its clients.
Therefore, some other concepts are currently under consideration, for example the production of chocolate or peanut butter.
info@selectohaiti.com | |
Address | Delmas 1A (en face de Delmas 10), Port-au-Prince |
Phone | 509 2813-7606,, |
Fax |