According to Jaime Montilla:

Its origin dates back to 1846 when French immigrant Juan Forestier acquired 275 cuerdas and named the Hacienda Rochelaise in memory of his birthplace in France, La Rochelle.  Begining in 1873 a series of loans were taken from Latimer & Cia. which resulted in the foreclosure in 1878 by its major creditor the NY Merchant firm of D. De Castro & Cia., Borda & Cia. and Dr. Carlos Grivot and his wife Carolina Kobly.  In 1883 D. De Castro & Cia. sold its ownership interest to Luisa Kluglist, the wife of Wenceslao Borda Rueda in exchange for shares in the Canovanas Sugar Co. Ltd. in a transaction where De Castro & Cia. was to satisfy all debt owing to Grivot & Kobly and other creditors involved in the liquidation of Latimer & Cia.  During the economic crisis at the end of the 19th Century, Hacienda Rochelaise was reduced to pasture land.  Central Rochelaise was established where the old hacienda was by David D. Wilson who was also related to Central Igualdad and Central Oriente and Mayagüez born and Paris educated Oscar F. Bravo González (1882-1964) and his wife Rudecinda Monagas Bianchi the daughter of Estela Bianchi Rosafá whose family also had ownership interests in Central Pagán in Añaco and Central Coloso in Aguadilla.  Bravo first worked in NY and upon his return to Puerto Rico was employed by Schultze & Co., a German commercial merchant house established in Mayagüez.  In 1908 ownership was transferred to the Mayagüez Sugar Co. whose main shareholders were Bravo, David & Robert Wilson, Chase Ulman and his brother-in-law and Ponce born José Miguel Morales Alvarado who was married to Sara Bravo Gonzalez.  After Oscar F. Bravo Gonzalez retired in 1940, his son Eng. Jose Oscar Bravo Monagas was at the helm.  After its closure in 1957, its sugarcane was processed at Central Igualdad and its machinery was sold as scrap metal in Mexico.[ref]”Central Sugar Mills.” jaimemontilla.com. Accessed 8/29/21[/ref]