India Ratnagiri Estate

The Patre family founded Ratnagiri Estate in 1927, and Ashok Patre assumed ownership in 1989. Since then, Ashok has revolutionized coffee production on his farm and in India. Year by year, Ashok reevaluated all aspects of production. He began with cherries by implementing more selective picking over five to six rounds, followed by intensive sorting before processing. “We feel that is most important in Specialty to start with.” He then invested in infrastructure by constructing a mill, drying houses, and a washing station outfitted with fermenters. Today, every aspect of production and process is controlled at Ratnagiri Estate, and 60% of the 117-hectare farm’s volume is Specialty grade.

Coffee is said to have first been brought from Africa to India in the 17th century. According to legend, a Sufi saint named Baba Budan encountered coffee during his pilgrimage to Mecca. Locals there were proud and protective of their coffee plants and prevented anyone from taking seeds to be planted outside of Yemen. Baba Budan was determined to share coffee with India, though. He hid seven seeds in his beard, discreetly escorting them through the port and planted them in the hills of the Karnataka region. In the 1800s, the British established commercial coffee plantations in the southern regions of India, and coffee production grew exponentially.

Early on, Arabica was the most popular export, but Robusta has taken over as the predominantly grown species due to struggles with leaf rust, white stem borer infestation, and climate change. Robusta now makes up over 70% of India’s coffee production, although there are producers maintaining and revamping the tradition of growing Arabica. Today, India is the sixth largest coffee producer in the world and grows some of the most genetically diverse coffee due to the country’s historical dedication to proactive breeding.

The Karnataka state in southwest India produces 65% of India's coffee, especially in the Sahyadri Mountain Range, or Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is one of the three geographical regions in the Karnataka state, just inland of the western coastal region and east of the Deccan Plateau. The mountain range intercepts the westerly monsoon winds that carry rain from the southwest. This contributes to the temperate rainforest climate that receives 120-160 inches of rain during the monsoon season, with certain areas of the mountain range receiving over 350 inches. Coffee thrives in this moist deciduous forest in the mountains, explaining why this is India's coffee production's birthplace.