Ramiro L. Colon
1160839
221815018
2008-06-26T06:14:16Z
68.225.76.185
'''Ramiro L. Colon''' (1904–1983), is credited with having saved the [[coffee]] [[industry]] in [[Puerto Rico]].
==Early years==
Colon (birth name: '''Ramiro L. Colon Castano'''), was born in and raised in the countryside of [[Ponce, Puerto Rico]]. There he received his [[primary education|primary]] and [[secondary education]]. Being raised in the country, he developed an intense love for the island's [[agriculture]]. He went to work for the "Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Puerto Rico" ([[Cooperative]] of Coffee Growers of Puerto Rico) in 1925, the same year it was founded, at the age of 21.
=="Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Puerto Rico"==
The cooperative was the first one of its kind in Puerto Rico. It was founded to protect the coffee industry, which was one of the island's most important [[export]] [[product (business)|product]]s, from outside imitators. The situation was the following: many [[merchant]]s were importing coffee from other countries, of poor quality and freshness, and passing them off as locally produced. When tourists and local consumers tasted the coffee, they complained about how bad it was, and as a result sales declined drastically and the coffee industry suffered greatly.
In 1928, [[1928 Okeechobee Hurricane|hurricane San Felipe]] destroyed most of the coffee [[plantation]]s on the island, and the [[Great Depression]] also affected the economy.
==Colon becomes general manager==
In 1932, Colon was named general manager of the cooperative and took upon himself the reorganization of the company during its time of crisis. The cooperative was almost [[bankrupt]], and the first thing Colon did was to obtain a loan from the Department of Agriculture and [[Commerce]]. With the money, he bought new equipment to replace the old and outdated equipment in the company. Colon was able to convince the [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] [[legislature]] to pass a law against the then-rampant [[adulteration]] and [[contraband]] of coffee.
=="Cafe Rico"==
Colon was credited with convincing the government to impose [[import tariff]]s on coffee, thereby ensuring the island would not be invaded by cheap coffee of poor quality, which often was advertised as locally produced. The cooperative purchased and installed a new [[torrefaction]] [[physical plant|plant]] in which the local coffee was processed. Colon set out to gain access to the [[United States|U.S.]] coffee market, helped the local coffee growers obtain lines of [[credit (finance)|credit]] from local bankers, and got financial help from the [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] and [[local government]] for the export of the cooperative's coffee. This coffee was named "Cafe Rico" and was well received locally and internationally, soon reestablishing the good fame of Puerto Rico's coffee worldwide. The cooperative became the first coffee manufacturer to sell its coffee in sealed cans. The quality of Cafe Rico has received numerous medals and recognitions in contests celebrated all over the world.
In the 1950s Ramiro L. Colon was named [[Administration (business)|Administrator]] of the cooperative, a position he held until his retirement in 1965. Colon established the first and only coffee tasting [[laboratory]] in Puerto Rico. One of Cafe Rico's byproducts, "San Carlos Selection", is the official coffee of [[Vatican City]].
==Cooperative expansion==
Under Colon's leadership, the cooperative was able to expand and diversify. The company sells food and agricultural equipment with sales of over $5 million. It also owns and operates an [[egg (food)|egg]] processing company which calls its product "Huevos Rico" (Rich Eggs). The cooperative owns an [[insurance]] company, its own credit [[corporation]] that grants loans to [[farmer]]s, and its own [[printing]] plant that prints and distributes an agricultural [[magazine]] worldwide. Recently, the cooperative has started to operate [[gasoline station]]s in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Mayaguez, Puerto Rico|Mayaguez]] and Ponce.
When Colon took over the company in 1932 as a general manager the cooperative had only $284,000 in annual sales. By 1963 the cooperative had over $35 million in sales.
The cooperative has [[office]]s and [[warehouse]]s in Ponce (main offices), San Juan, Mayagüez, [[Arecibo, Puerto Rico|Arecibo]], [[Yauco, Puerto Rico|Yauco]], [[San Sebastian, Puerto Rico|San Sebastian]], [[Utuado, Puerto Rico|Utuado]], [[Adjuntas, Puerto Rico|Adjuntas]], [[Jayuya, Puerto Rico|Jayuya]] and [[Ciales, Puerto Rico|Ciales]].
==Politics==
In 1952 the [[Constitution of Puerto Rico]] was adopted, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. He was a member of the [[Constituent Convention of Puerto Rico]].
==Postscript==
Ramiro L. Colon died in the city of [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]], which honored him by naming a high school after him. He is remembered as the man who saved the Puerto Rican coffee industry.
==See also==
{{portalpar|Puerto Rico}}
*[[List of famous Puerto Ricans]]
==External links==
*[http://www.caferico.com/history-frames.htm Company History]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colon, Ramiro L.}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican businesspeople]]
[[Category:People from Ponce, Puerto Rico]]