The Yauco National Coffee Festival, also known as the Coffee Festival or Festival del Café, stems from the close relationship between Yauco and coffee cultivation. The tradition took root in the 19th century with the rise of coffee plantations in the mountainous region of southwestern Puerto Rico. Inspired by these roots, in the 1970s the municipality and local cultural leaders promoted a celebration that would unite history, economy, and community pride around coffee. The first official edition of the National Coffee Festival was held in 1975, making it the oldest coffee festival in Puerto Rico and the second oldest in the United States.

Behind the organization was the then president of the Cultural Center, Amaury Veray Torregrosa, and Yauco professor Freddie León Maldonado, who proposed creating a festival to commemorate the founding of Yauco and its golden age of coffee. In 1976, the non-profit corporation Festival del Café, Inc. was established, affiliated with the Cultural Center, with the aim of organizing commemorative events linked to the history of the town and the festival.

Over the years, the festival has expanded its program beyond simple coffee tasting to include artistic and educational activities. Programs from recent decades include parades, queen coronations, craft fairs, troubadour competitions, poster contests, traditional and popular music concerts, as well as “farm to cup” tours and discussions on the history of coffee in Yauco. Themed events such as “Jíbara Night” and “Dance Night,” literature and art contests, and awards such as the “Order of the Coffee Plantation,” which recognize individuals or entities that have made outstanding contributions to the preservation of the municipality’s coffee-growing and cultural traditions, have also been incorporated.

Currently, the festival is held between the end of February and the beginning of March and is organized by the municipality of Yauco in collaboration with the Freddie León Maldonado National Coffee Festival Committee, the Office of the First Lady, and the Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism. Recent editions have been held both in the Fernando de Pacheco y Matos public square and in rural neighborhoods such as Susúa and Collores, reinforcing the link between the urban center and the coffee-growing communities.

In 2025, various local media outlets reported on the celebration of the 50th edition of the National Coffee Festival, highlighting its importance as one of Yauco’s most emblematic traditions.

Today, the Yauco National Coffee Festival serves not only as a showcase for Puerto Rican coffee and its industry, but also as a space to reaffirm Yauco’s identity and the historical memory of the coffee-growing region. Since its inaugural year, it remains one of the largest and most consistent coffee festivals in Puerto Rico.