Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture attempted to revive the production that declined 45% from 1789 levels and instituted a fermage system, similar to serfdom; confined to state-owned plantations.
However, when Napoleon began to send troops between 1801–1803 in a failed attempt to regain the territory, the coffee plantations were again abandoned.
[11] In 1920, Vice President of the National City Bank, John H. Allen, wrote about Haiti in "The Americas" and said: Up to two years ago, Haitian coffee was never wanted in this market, whereas in Europe it was in strong demand.
[12]Coffee production has been hurt by natural disasters, as well as United States-led embargoes against the governments of François and Jean-Claude Duvalier.
In 2010, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that left the country in desolation and played a big role in the decrease of coffee production.
However, the continual rise in demand has eased Haiti back into the world coffee scene through the implementation of fair trade policies that have contributed to its attempt at restoration.
The profile of Haitian coffee has grown and has been advantageous for small-scale Haitian farmers, as specialty coffee has drawn the attention of a growing trend of socially-aware western consumers receiving a premium on the world market stage adopting strategies that have heightened its value, such as origin-labeling, high quality differentiation techniques such as fair trade, gourmet, and organic, in order to meet these demands and capitalizing on their higher willingness to pay.