Biligiriranga Hills Coffee & The Seven Seeds
The hot drink most commonly associated with and consumed in India is undoubtedly tea. It was introduced under the British Colonial rule between 1858 and 1947. However, a lesser-known fact is that since the 16th century, India has been one of the world’s major producers of coffee. It then further flourished with the British East India Company.
In the time when the Middle East had a monopoly on coffee production, there were strict laws prohibiting any germinating beans from leaving Arabia. While the Dutch merchant, Peter van den Brooke, was known to have smuggled seeds across to the Far East, India has a much more intriguing legend.
Seven coffee beans, hidden in the beard of the Saint Baba Budan, were smuggled on his journey back from Mecca. The beans travelled from Yemen to Mysore, India, and marked the start of coffee cultivation in Karnataka. He brought only seven beans, as the number seven is considered sacred in Islam. Consequently, carrying the beans was then considered a religious act by his people and therefore not a theft. They were planted on the slopes of the Chandrodrona Hills in Chikkamagaluru district (now Karnataka).
The hills were later named Baba Budan Giri in his honour.
The first coffee plantations were established in 1840 around Baba Budan Giri.
It is now a huge industry where the vast majority of the farms span the southern region of India, including the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Around 60% of coffee grown in India is Robusta, with the remaining 40% Arabica and some Excelsa. Indian Robusta is particularly favoured for its superior mixing qualities, adding depth and finish, especially for espresso blends.
India is now the third-largest producer and exporter of coffee in Asia and the sixth-largest producer in the world
The Biligiriranga Hills and the Soliga people
About 300km south east of Baba Budan hills, on the cusp of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu lies another hill range known as Biligiriranga Hills. It means ‘white hills’ in the local language, Kannada, as it refers to the white rock face of one of the largest hills that is crowned by the temple of Lord Ranganatha. Located where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet, this haven of natural beauty is home to a huge diversity of flora and fauna, including a wildlife sanctuary and a protected tiger reserve.
It is also inhabited by a tribe known as the Soliga.
The Soliga are an ethnic group in Karnataka with a population of around 40,000. They live in harmony with nature, depending on the forest for their livelihood, with intimate knowledge of medicinal plants and non-timber forest produce such as honey. A system unique to Soliga’s is that they offer the first yield from their farms to animals and birds. They have incredible tracking skills, and their affinity towards wild animals allows them to live in harmony with nature and only hunt as a necessity for survival.
In 1974, many Soliga were evicted from their homes, and were displaced in the plains away from the forest when the forest was declared a wildlife sanctuary. This declaration also included a ban on the collection of forest produce. This was devastating, as it was not only destroying their livelihood but after co-exiting with nature for over hundreds of years, the Soliga were displaced to plains with conditions they were not accustomed to.
Taking legal action in 2008, they created history by becoming the first tribal community living inside a tiger reserve to get legal rights to the forest. This included the right of access and ownership of non-timber forest produce, fishing, grazing, and cultural practice rights, besides the right to conserve and manage the forest.
Between 2011 and 2015, the tiger population had doubled, proving that both tigers and the Soliga could live harmoniously side by side.
These are the farmers who grow and pick our coffee. It grows in the shade of the forest, surrounded by natural species and wildlife that is unique to this region. The Soliga work alongside our partners in India, Ekata and Emerald Haven Estate. Their mutual respect for nature makes this a symbiotic relationship.
Ekata
Ekata is a Sanskrit word which means ‘Oneness’, and was formed by seven friends from Kerala. They are passionate about advocating organic farming with the ethos of ‘Oneness in harmony with nature’. Ekata’s vision is to work closely with the local community of farmers, the Soliga, to tap into their affinity with nature to not only improve the quality of the coffee but also that of the lives of the farmers and micro-organisms in the Emerald Haven Estate. They are one of the foremost producers of shade grown washed/ semi-washed Arabica coffee in India. Special attention is given to this process to deliver this specialty coffee that Indochina Coffee is proud to champion.
