Indian coffee began its long, arduous journey around 400 years ago when the legendary saint Bababudan brought seven magical beans from distant Yemen and planted them in the Chandragiri Hills of Chikmagalore. Coffee is grown here for the past 150 years and accounts for 70% of the current Indian coffee production. Coffee is a tropical plant and grows best in a moist environment with an annual rainfall of 1,500 mm and altitudes up to 2,000 metres. The average temperature should be between 19 and 25 degree C. The two main varieties of coffee are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica needs much care, but produces high grade coffee. Coffee is grown in the shade of valuable timber trees, while pepper is grown as an intercrop on these trees.

Coffee blossoms in summer and harvesting is done after the rainy season, when the plants produce berries. Ready-to-harvest berries are firm and reddish in colour. The protective layers covering the bean have to be removed either by dry or wet method. These beans are then segregated into different grades, and then roasted and powdered to get table coffee. Coffee is the second-most valuable exported legal commodity in the world, second only to crude petroleum oil. Well-managed Arabica coffee plantation produces about 3/4th to 1 ton coffee beans. Based on the present market price, the gross value will be between Rs 1,15,000 and 1,50,000, and the net profit will be around Rs 65,000 to 1,00,000 per acre. A coffee plant can remain productive up to 50 years.