FROM BABA BUDAN TO BARISTAS

India's coffee story spans 350+ years, evolving from Baba Budan's seven beans to a $1.29 billion global industry.

- Ruchira Talapatra

India's journey with coffee is a rich tapestry interwoven with cultural legends, colonial enterprises, and economic transformations. From the clandestine introduction of coffee beans by Baba Budan in the 17th century to its current status as the seventh-largest coffee producer globally, India's coffee cultivation history reflects a dynamic interplay of social, political, and economic factors.

BABA BUDAN'S LEGACY

The narrative of coffee in India begins with Baba Budan, a revered Sufi saint from Karnataka. In 1670, during a pilgrimage to Mecca, Baba Budan encountered the allure of coffee in Yemen. At that time, the Arabs maintained a strict monopoly over coffee cultivation, prohibiting the export of fertile beans to preserve their dominance. Defying these restrictions, Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee beans-considered a sacred number in Islam-by concealing them in his beard. Upon returning to India, he planted these beans near his hermitage in the Chandragiri hills of Karnataka, specifically in the Chikmagalur district. This act is widely regarded as the inception of coffee cultivation in India.

COLONIAL EXPANSION

While Baba Budan's initial planting marked the beginning, it was during the British colonial era that coffee cultivation expanded significantly. In 1840, the British established the first commercial coffee plantations in the Baba Budan Giri hills and its surrounding areas in Karnataka. Recognizing the favorable climatic conditions-tropical weather, high altitudes, and well-drained soils-the British expanded coffee cultivation to other regions, including Wayanad in present-day Kerala and the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. By the mid-19th century, coffee had become a major export commodity, contributing to the colonial economy.

THE COFFEE LEAF RUST EPIDEMIC