Coffee production in Costa Rica began in 1779 in the Meseta Central which had ideal soil and climate conditions for coffee plantations. The volcanic soil is very rich and well drained and the cool air found at higher elevations causes the coffee cherries to ripen more slowly, giving the final brew a rich and delicious flavour.

In the nineteenth century, the Costa Rican government strongly encouraged coffee production, and the industry fundamentally transformed a colonial regime and village economy built on direct extraction by a city-based elite towards organized production for export on a larger scale. The government offered farmers plots of land for anybody who wanted to harvest the plants. The coffee plantation system in the country therefore developed in the nineteenth century largely as result of the government's open policy, although the problem with coffee barons did play a role in internal differentiation, and inequality in growth. Soon coffee became a major source of revenue surpassing cacao, tobacco, and sugar production as early as 1829.