CASA DRANGUET

A visit not to be missed during your stay in Santiago! It is a center of interpretation and popularization of the cultural heritage of coffee in partnership with the Malongo Foundation. It is located in a magnificent colonial house with a beautiful patio. The house was built in the mid-19th century by Don Carlos Dranguet, an exporter and descendant of one of the French settlers who fled Santo Domingo, and was beautifully restored in 2015 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the city's founding. It is organized into several spaces. First, there is the patio, which hosts a café on a beautiful shaded terrace and you can of course drink good Cuban coffee; it has the distinction of being produced in the old fashioned way in nearby plantations in collaboration with the Malongo Foundation.

But the most interesting part of Casa Dranguet is its small museum that traces the history of coffee growing in Cuba through a multitude of period objects bequeathed by the city but also by the Malongo Foundation. You will see, among other things, an authentic French roaster from the end of the 19th century and the menu of the famous Procope restaurant in Paris, where coffee was already served at that time. Finally, screens show films about the restoration of the Fraternidad plantation and Casa Dranguet. But Casa Dranguet is also a cultural place that regularly hosts conferences and concerts. An almost indispensable stop for those who want to know more about the secrets of coffee!