Print by L.A. Roussin, 1860.

In 1715, the Compagnie des Indes Orientales imported coffee plants from Moka. The settlers were encouraged and later compelled to grow this variety. It was grown on large farms, boosting the plantation economy and the expansion of slavery. The plantations ran into difficulties after 1760, partly because of competition from the Caribbean. The turning point came in 1815 when coffee continued to be planted on small farms and larger estates switched to sugarcane.