| By the 17th Century, with the popularity of | | | | plantations spread all over Sri Lanka and into |
| coffee ever increasing in Europe, the interest of | | | | Southern India. Then, in 1699, the Dutch started |
| the then World Superpowers - Britain, France, | | | | production in Indonesia, when cuttings were |
| Netherlands, Portugal and Spain - also grew. Up | | | | successfully transplanted from Malabar (India) to |
| until this point, coffee imported into Europe had | | | | Java.Without help from the Dutch, the other |
| come from the Arabian Peninsula, over which | | | | Superpowers would not have got out the starting |
| none of these nations had any control. The | | | | blocks. By 1706, the first coffee beans from Java |
| Europeans had sample coffee and liked it, and | | | | had reached Amsterdam, along with a coffee |
| now they wanted to start producing it for | | | | plant for the Botanical Garden. From this plant, a |
| themselves. The race was on to establish their | | | | number of successful cuttings were made. These |
| own coffee plantations in their respective | | | | new plants soon found their way into various |
| colonies.It was the Netherlands who took an early | | | | botanical gardens throughout Europe as they |
| lead in this race. In 1616, Dutch spies successfully | | | | were given as gifts to visiting dignitaries.One such |
| managed to smuggle a coffee plant out of Mocha | | | | plant was given to King Louis XIV of France in |
| (Yemen). Although, to begin with, they were only | | | | 1714, by the Burgermeister of Amsterdam. The |
| involved in small scale cultivation. This changed in | | | | plant was re-homed in le Jardin des Plantes in |
| 1658, when they defeated the Portuguese to | | | | Paris. |
| take control of Sri Lanka. Very soon coffee | | | | |