DBT Bureau
Pune, 30 Nov 2025
Legend has it that India’s coffee journey began around 1600 AD when Sufi Saint Baba Budan planted seven coffee seeds brought from Mocha port in Yemen in the Baba Budan Giri hills of Chikkamangaluru, Karnataka. Initially grown as a garden crop, coffee cultivation gradually expanded, leading to the establishment of commercial plantations in the 18th century. Indian coffee is cultivated under a unique two-tier shade system of evergreen and leguminous trees, with nearly 50 varieties enhancing soil health and biodiversity. Grown across 4.91 lakh hectares in the Western and Eastern Ghats and the North Eastern region, coffee serves as both an environmentally sustainable and economically vital plantation crop. The coffee sector sustains the livelihoods of over two million people, dominated by smallholder farmers, who account for nearly 99 percent of holdings and 70 percent of production.
Coffee plantations serve as spice gardens cultivating pepper, cardamom, vanilla, orange, and banana. The Western and Eastern Ghats provide ideal conditions, with Arabica thriving in cooler highlands and Robusta in warmer regions. India is the seventh-largest coffee producer with about 3.6 lakh tonnes annually, exporting nearly 70 percent to 128 countries.
The coffee industry is concentrated in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, accounting for 96 percent of production. Karnataka leads with 2,80,275 metric tonnes. India’s coffee-growing landscape includes 13 agro-climatic zones across traditional, non-traditional, and North Eastern regions. Recognised regions include Araku Valley, Coorg, Chikkamagaluru, Nilgiris, Sheveroys, Travancore, and Wayanad.
India holds Geographical Indication (GI) tags for Coorg Arabica, Wayanad Robusta, Chikmagalur Arabica, Araku Valley Arabica, Bababudangiris Arabica, and specialty Monsooned Malabar Robusta. Specialty coffees like Monsooned Malabar AA, Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, and Robusta Kaapi Royale enhance India’s premium coffee identity through distinctive flavours, aroma, and quality.
