With abundant sunshine and a 12-month growing season, the Caribbean—set completely within the tropics—is a natural farm-to-fork destination, with fruits and vegetables from plantations and smaller farms making their way to local menus. Adding coffee and tobacco to the mix, agritourism is a growing niche, with many destinations boasting farms that are open to tourists as well as agritour programs that explore commercial and indigenous traditions in farming.
If interest in agriculture is cropping up in your group, here are some venues in the Caribbean to consider:
Set at an elevation of 2,500 feet in the mountains of Ponce in Puerto Rico, Cafe Lucero features barista-led farm tours, during which visitors can view the entire production process, from preparation of the land to farming and packaging of the final product. “Our goal is for visitors to enjoy our coffee,” says owner Lucemy Velazquez.
Jamaica’s Blue Mountains produce a brew that enjoys worldwide popularity, and nestled among the lush peaks is the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, offering 40-minute facility tours that end with a cup of, what else, coffee.
In the Dominican Republic, Cigar Country Tours explores cigar production in La Romana, Santiago and Punta Cana. Highlights include La Aurora, the country’s oldest cigar factory. Also in the DR, tours at chocolate producer El Sendero del Cacao start with a cup of hot chocolate.
In Mount Pleasant on New Providence in the Bahamas, Goodfellow Farms showcases homegrown produce that is used in the on-site restaurant and sold to locals. The property is also available for private events.
The Ridge 2 Reef Farm on St. Croix, one of the only certified organic farms in the USVI, welcomes visitors to taste test the crops and glimpse the inner workings of farm life.
