Your coffee bean is a pampered being! When you drink a cup of Coorg Coffee, you are tasting flavors infused over the centuries by the lush biomass of Coorg soil, rich in humus and microorganisms that thrive in these tropical woodlands. Coorg coffee estates are chiefly natural woodlands, cleared of undergrowth for growing coffee, so native trees co-exist with interplanted fruit trees and spice plants. These woodlands, with a varied mix of flora and fauna act as connecting corridors for wildlife, which translates to actual benefits, as natures takes care of its own and hence pesticide use is relatively minimal. The roots of different vegetations, trees, and spices intermingle beneath the earth and provide intense depth and flavor to the coffee bean including a rich, complex bouquet. Accordingly, your cup of coffee is exceptionally delicious.
What makes our coffee so special is the fact that it’s shade grown. Shade grown coffee has several advantages; The slow growth and maturation process makes for lower acidity, and a more complex flavor profile. So, along with being eco-friendly, shade grown coffee from the coffee estates of Coorg is also a friend of your gut and your palate.
Your coffee is grown in one of the ‘hottest biological hotspots’ of the world, the Western Ghats of India, a range of mountains even more ancient than the mighty Himalayas. Coorg, or Kodagu as it is officially called, is a tiny district tucked away into the steep slopes and deep valleys of a particularly fertile stretch of this ecological treasure, in the South Indian State of Karnataka. Until the mid-1800s, Coorg remained an isolated place inhabited chiefly by its original people – forest dwellers, hunters and farmers.
Coffee first entered Coorg by way of neighboring Malabar traders and quickly became a homestead crop; to be grown in their backyards, the berries picked, dried and de-husked at home and used for personal consumption. Coffee soon made itself at home in Coorg and became a local favorite, especially to kickstart one’s system on freezing cold Coorg mornings.
Before long, people commenced large scale cultivation of Coffee and the government started granting forest lands for agricultural use with stringent restrictions on tree felling. Coffee in its original state is a shade loving plant, so people began growing plantations with minimal forest damage; a blessing because the Western Ghats is an area of massive global importance due to its biological and cultural diversity.
Today, this small coffee growing district popularly nicknamed, ‘The Coffee Cup of India” produces over 130,000 MTs of coffee a year, which is nearly 40% of the total coffee production of India. And, around 70% of Indian coffee is exported to European markets.
