Coffee arrived in Suriname between 1712-1718 by Dutch colonists. Early coffee plantations were built on the backs of slaves, and the release of slaves in 1873 hurt agricultural production as the plantations couldn’t be managed. Of the estimated 200 colonial-era plantations in Suriname, only one survived beyond the abolition of slavery. This plantation is the major producer of Suriname’s Arabica bean today, which is like many other South American beans.
