SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda says several organizations have pledged nearly $3 million to help revive Puerto Rico's struggling coffee industry.
The nonprofit Hispanic Federation and Nespresso have each pledged $1 million, and The Rockefeller Foundation has given $500,000. The Starbucks Foundation has given $470,000 and Starbucks has donated 2 million coffee seeds.
Miranda said Wednesday that the nonprofit group TechnoServe will oversee the plan.
The announcement comes more than a year after Hurricane Maria destroyed 80 percent of Puerto Rico's crops.
Coffee production in the U.S. territory has dropped in recent years, in part because of a severe shortage of coffee pickers. An estimated 35 percent of the crop was lost in years prior to the hurricane because there was no one to pick it.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
