Rio revives rich coffee past for tourists

By Peter Blackburn, Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Tucked away in Rio de Janeiro's historic commercial district, a new coffee center beckons tourists and schoolchildren away from beaches to learn about the days when "The Marvelous City" ruled the coffee world.

Coffee was first planted on Rio's mountain slopes at the start of the 19th century and by the 1850s the city and state accounted for more than half the world's coffee output.

Rio's coffee barons made fabulous fortunes using slave labor. But when Brazil abolished slavery in 1888, the industry was already in sharp decline, with farmers moving south to more fertile land.

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