The Ripple Effect: How Your Visit to Our Farm Impacts the Local Community
Hello Beautiful Humans,
The story of Maricao runs deep… but too often, it’s forgotten. This is one of the last frontiers — a place where the community lives by the land, surviving on what Mother Nature provides. Step into Hacienda Iluminada and you step into a tale of greatness, of tragedy… and of resilience. Every step you take, you’re part of a transformation. This is the Puerto Rico you won’t find on postcards, but it’s the reality we are changing. One coffee seed. At a time.
-If it’s good for EARTH it’s GOOD for YOU
The Golden Age: A History Lost
Maricao was once known as the “Coffee City,” and for good reason. In the late 1800s, during the golden age of Puerto Rican coffee, our coffee beans were ranked among the best in the world. Maricaos coffee was shipped across oceans, served at royal courts, poured for popes, and admired by kings. Coffee was the epicenter of the Puerto Rican economy, and its influence reached global prestige, earning a reputation as a favorite among European royalty.
But time has a way of changing everything. As the 20th century began, global markets shifted and hurricanes ripped through our island, destroying crops and infrastructure. The coffee fields that once produced the island’s finest, freshly roasted coffee now grew silent. Families left the farms. Generations of tradition and agricultural heritage started to fade away…
What was once abundance slowly turned into a struggle. Maricao's reputation for creating wealth for all of Puerto Rico faded into obscurity, and today, it carries the heavy label of one of the highest unemployed towns on the island. The glory had dimmed, but the story wasn't over.
A Community Shaken, A Promise Kept
In 2014, Hacienda Iluminada began with a clear purpose: to bring new life and opportunity back to the community of Maricao. We made a promise to create jobs and restore the golden age of Puerto Rican coffee culture back center stage to THE WORLD. Just like every coffee seed we plant, it’s a promise meant to grow.
Then… the unexpected happened in 2017, Hurricane Maria tore across Puerto Rico, and our promise was put to the ultimate test. There has never been a storm like this in our lifetime, it’s fury ripped through our livelihoods. It shattered families, leveled homes, and sadly… wiped out years and years of hard work in a single night. The aftereffects are still raw, as our community — like so many across the island — continues to rebuild even today.
This is the aftermath of how Hurricane Maria shook Puerto Rico to its core:
A Staggering Human Toll: The official death count was initially set at 64, but a later study from George Washington University estimated the true death toll to be closer to 2,975, revealing the hidden human count of the disaster.
The Longest Blackout in U.S. History: The storm completely wiped out Puerto Rico’s power grid, plunging the entire island into darkness. It became the longest blackout in U.S. history, leaving many homes without electricity for nearly a year.
Agricultural Devastation: Puerto Ricos agriculture was nearly destroyed. The storm wiped out approximately 80% of our total crop value nation wide, leaving farmers with nothing and setting our food supply back for years.
Widespread Isolation: Maria’s powerful winds and floods destroyed roads and bridges, leaving countless communities, especially those in remote mountain regions such as Maricao, completely isolated from aid and communication.
Mass Migration: In the year following the storm, more than 130,000 of our people were forced to leave their homes and migrate to the mainland U.S. in search of stability and a better future.
In the midst of this devastation, one of our farmers called us. His voice was trembling as he asked, "When are you opening back up?" He had lost his home and was desperate to find a way to buy diapers for his newborn baby. It was in that moment that our mission became brutally clear. We had made a promise in 2014, and now, we were the hope our community needed.
Not everyone knows the weight of wondering when their child will have their next meal. In Maricao, that weight has been real. But it’s also what makes our coffee so special, because even through the greatest catastrophes, we refused to let hardship define us. Instead, we rose together and began writing a new story. Not one of fear, but of new beginnings.
A Living Story: The New Age for Maricao
Hacienda Iluminada was born from loving of our island, but it became a bigger purpose through the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, with a commitment to sustainability for both the farm and our community. We made a promise to the mayor of Maricao to hire local farmers, a promise that we live up to every day and has become the heart of our coffee tours.
We want YOU to taste the fruits of labor that our team pours their lives into. Every morning they rise early, climbing steep and rocky terrain, handpicking each coffee cherry with care. Hours of work, bodies pushed to the limit — all so you can enjoy the freshest Puerto Rican specialty coffee you will ever drink. And they do it with pride, because YOU make it possible. Your support gives them not just jobs, but the ability to live their best lives. From the roaster to the tour guide, every human here carries the weight of our past and the hope of our future. They are the true soul of this farm and hero’s to our community.
Be Part Of The Change
While most travelers see the beautiful beaches and the lively cities, they miss the daily realities of our humans in the rural mountains. Your visit to Hacienda Iluminada is a direct connection to that reality, and it's a powerful force for change. Your tour is a beacon of hope. It provides a stable job to a family, it helps us preserve our culture, and it ensures that the aftereffects of the past will not define our future. Every step you take on our soil is an investment in our community, helping us bring Puerto Rican coffee out of the darkness and bring the light to a heritage that was nearly lost.
Stop waiting! Step into our fields, our roastery, and our story. Tour spots available now! tap on link below
If it’s GOOD for earth, it is GOOD FOR YOU!
Walk Their Steps
Your visit is more than just a memorable day at a coffee farm. It's a choice to impact human lives, culture, and the future of Puerto Rican coffee. Book a visit, become a vital part of a story of change. We don’t drink coffee to wake up, we wake up to make the best coffee YOU will ever taste. We would love to serve it here at our farm, but until then.
-We hope to see YOU SOON!
Experience the Best! Visit Puerto Rico’s Premier Coffee Farm!
Come see the Maricao Mountains for yourself. Walk through volcanic soil, listen to the springs that feed the farm, and taste coffee grown with integrity. Whether you’re here for a tour or to take home a bag, Hacienda Iluminada offers a taste of Puerto Rico you’ll never forget.
From our hands on Hacienda Iluminada to your cup, 787 Coffee is on a mission to redefine what it means to drink Puerto Rican coffee.
We grow every single bean ourselves.
We practice real sustainable farming—no greenwashing, just love for the land.
Every sip you take supports local farmers, protects our forests, and keeps our coffee legacy alive for the next generation.
Ready for the trip of a lifetime? Come to Maricao. Walk the fields. Smell the fresh-roasted beans. Feel the heartbeat of Puerto Rico in every single cup.
👉 Ready to taste the tradition? Book your unforgettable Hacienda Iluminada coffee tour today at HaciendaIluminada.com!