Miguel Ruiz (1856–1912) founded a

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

processing company which would later become "Jimenez & Fernandez, Sucrs, Inc." the makers of ''Café Yaucono''.

Early years

Ruiz, a native of

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the ...

, began working in the coffee industry at a young age. His interest in that sector of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

led him to establish a small coffee processing company in Miramar, a section of San Juan. In 1896, Ruiz started elaborating coffee using rudimentary equipment. His small operation started to grow and he soon sent for his cousin-in-law, Tiburio Jiménez, who lived in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. In 1911, Jiménez went to work and immediately, he too fell in love with the coffee industry. In 1912, tragedy befell upon the family and Miguel Ruiz died. He left the company in the hands of his family and Jimenez.

"Cafe Yaucono"

Tomas Prado, from

Yauco Yauco () is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco is located south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana G ...

was the owner of "The Coffee Co." and in 1914, created the coffee brand "Cafe Yaucono". Jiménez became interested in the brand and soon began negotiations with Prado with the intention of buying him out. In 1916, Prado sold "The Coffee Co." and its brand "Yaucono" to the heirs of Migul Ruiz. In 1917, the Ruiz family sold the company and Jiménez quit the company. Soon afterwards, Jiménez started his own company with Juan Fernández which they named "Jiménez & Fernandez, Sucrs.".

Jiménez & Fernandez, Sucrs, Inc.

In 1921, the company, which was incorporated and renamed "Jimenez & Fernandez, Sucrs, Inc.", bought a lot in the Fernández Juncos Ave. and built a two-story building. The company operated in the first floor and the Jiménez family lived in the second floor. Jiménez married and had three children, among them José Enrique Jiménez. In 1931, Juan Fernández sold his part of the company to Jiménez. During this period the company was faced with limitations and hardships. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, hurricanes and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

almost completely bankrupted the entire coffee industry in Puerto Rico. Jiménez was forced to close his company on two occasions during this time. When Jiménez reopened the company, the demand for coffee was so great that its sales soared. In 1957, Tiburcio's son José Enrique, began to work for "Yaucono" and in 1960, he was named Manager of the Sales and Marketing departments. José Enrique started a strong advertising campaign and in 1963 introduced the "Cafe Yaucono" character "Mama Inés", becoming one of the biggest marketing symbols in Puerto Rican history. In 1965, José Enrique was named president and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the company.

Postscript

In 1985, "Café Yaucono" received the highest award from the Puerto Rico Product Association, the "International Award for Quality". In 1996, "Cafe Yaucono" received the "Commercial Prestige Award" from Spain. "Cafe Yaucono" controls 40% of the coffee market in Puerto Rico.Cafe Yaucono
Miguel Ruiz died in

in 1912 and Tiburcio Jiménez died in 1975 in the same city.

References

External links