Brewing Successfully: The Rise of Coffee Farming in Odisha
From the greenery slopes of Koraput to the aesthetic cafés of Bhubaneswar, coffee is silently scripting a cinema of success for Odisha’s farmers, entrepreneurs, and youth.
Once known primarily for its tribal heritage and dense forest belts, the state of Odisha is now gaining prominence for a new kind of aroma wafting through its own lush hills, Coffee. From the greenery slopes of Koraput to the aesthetic cafés of Bhubaneswar, coffee is silently scripting a cinema of success for Odisha’s farmers, entrepreneurs, and youth.
The high-altitude regions of Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Gajapati offer ideal agro-climatic conditions for Arabica coffee cultivation. With elevations ranging from 900 to 1,200 meters and ample rainfall, Odisha’s tribal districts are emerging as the new coffee zones of India.
“Coffee doesn’t just grow here—it thrives,” says Ramesh Jani, a coffee farmer from Koraput. “We’ve seen better returns than traditional crops like millets or ragi. With government support, the income is more consistent too.”
A mature coffee plantation (about 3-4 years after planting) yields around 800 to 1,000 kg of cherry per acre annually. With the market price of raw coffee cherry ranging between ₹45 to ₹60 per kilogram, coffee farmers can earn anywhere from ₹40,000 to ₹60,000 per acre per season easily. If they advance a little, process and sell dried beans or roasted powder, profits can double or triple.
What’s more encouraging is the reduced risk, ofcourse. Unlike seasonal vegetables or grains prone to market crashes, coffee has a stable export demand, especially organic coffee and the craze is infinity.
The Coffee Board of India and the Odisha government have actively promoted coffee farming under tribal livelihood missions. Schemes include, Free saplings and shade trees, Training on organic farming, Subsidies for pulping and drying units, Linkages to marketing platforms.
The Odisha government’s initiative under Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM) is helping over 3,000 tribal families cultivate coffee across 2,000 hectares.
The growing interest in coffee has also led to the rise of local cafés and micro-roasters in twin cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri as well. Cafés such as Koraput Coffee proudly serve locally sourced beans, bridging the gap between farmer and consumer also attracts a bunch of young guys and oldies who are constantly visiting the place for authentic coffee experience.
“People love to sip as here in Koraput Coffee, every cup tells a story. When we serve Koraput coffee, we’re serving a sweet journey, from tribal hands to metro mugs,” shares Sourav Nayak, a barista at Koraput Coffee.
Even eco-tourism is being tapped. Coffee estates in Koraput are turning into agri-tourism hubs, offering coffee plantation walks, brewing experiences and information centres.
Despite its promise, coffee farming in Odisha faces hurdles, lack of advanced processing infrastructure, erratic rainfall due to climate change, and limited branding of Odisha coffee on national shelves.
With growing demand for organic, traceable coffee, Odisha’s coffee sector is well-poised to boom. The blend of tribal labor, government support, and private café interest may soon make Odisha a name to reckon with in the Indian coffee map.
