India
India has been one of the world’s major producers of coffee for a long time – since the days of the Mughal empire, some 200 years before tea was introduced under British colonial rule.
The well-known legend of coffee’s arrival in India has it that 16th century Sufi saint, Baba Budan, so enthused by coffee when travelling through the Middle East during his Hajj, smuggled seven coffee beans from Yemen (supposedly hidden in his beard) and planted them in Chandragiri, a hilly region located back in his home state of Karnataka.
Hospura Estate - Chikmagalur
Hospura Estate is situated in the Bab Budan Giri coffee growing area of India. The farm itself is 12 hectares, and is known for its biodiversity and traditional cultivation methods. Coffee is grown under a rich polyculture shade canopy, featuring a wide range of native and endemic tree species. The environment provides a vital habitat for birds (including the Nilgiri Flowerpecker, the Blyths Starling and the Malabar Parakeet). What’s more vulnerable mammal like the Spotted Deer and Flying Squirrel are to be found on the Estate.
The farm itself is managed by Zuheb Abrar and he grows exclusively S795 and Chandragiri varieties. Having studied Civil Engineering, Zuheb decided he would rather work in coffee on the farm and to try to develop the farm’s potential as a wildlife sanctuary.
