Aromas of coffee in Princely Mysore

S Narendra Prasad traces the history of coffee in the erstwhile Mysore state, and how growers and writers shaped its trajectory

The history of coffee cultivation in Karnataka can be traced back to those famed ‘seven coffee beans from Arabia’. These were said to be the first beans brought here, and planted in the picturesque Baba Budan hills range of the erstwhile state of Princely Mysore.

During the time of Tipu Sultan, coffee had acquired a measure of economic importance. Records of this period refer to the cultivation as a state monopoly, and coffee as an export of the state. The government considered coffee cultivation profitable, and a tax known as halat was collected from coffee growers.

It was during the 19th century that many Europeans who had come and settled in India started cultivating coffee in the Malnad region, which then comprised Kadur and Hassan. Traditionally, locals in the region had cultivated it too, but on a small scale. As interest increased, parts of the ghat regions were cleared for coffee cultivation. 

Gazetteers and archival sources provide us with details about huge tracts of forest land where coffee was cultivated in the latter half of the 19th century. Till about 1840, coffee had only been planted in small holdings (mostly in backyards). 

European planters

In 1823, Parry and Company, a commercial house based in Madras (now Chennai) acquired rights from the Maharaja of Mysore to collect coffee beans from forests. Around the same period, coffee grower Thomas Cannon started cultivation near Chikkamagaluru. In 1843, Fredrick Green, another European grower, began cultivating coffee on the slopes of Manjarabad (now Sakleshpur).

By the end of 1850, coffee had reached the status of cash crop because of its increasing demand in contemporary Europe. Coffee houses in London brewed coffee beans brought from India, which was under colonial rule then.

According to statistics available in 1856, there were seven planters of European origin in Princely Mysore, who cultivated coffee in around 8,094 hectares. Each European planter held around 930 acres. Many of them built posh bungalows in the plantations.

Among the European planters, the names of R H Elliot and Graham Anderson are remembered even today for their writings on coffee. Elliot was a pioneer among the European planters, known for his books on coffee. His first book, titled The Experiences of a Planter in the Jungles of Mysore was published in 1871 in two volumes. 

When Elliot began cultivating coffee in the 1950s, land was abundant, and labour was cheap. He started his career as a planter with limited resources and knowledge. But soon, he came to occupy an important place among European planters.

His second book, Gold, Sport and Coffee Planting in Mysore was published in London in 1898. At that time, K Sheshadri Iyer was the Dewan of Mysore. As a token of gratitude, Elliot dedicated this book to the Dewan. Interestingly, he also served as a member of the Mysore Representative Assembly, representing the South Mysore Planters Association. He also met the Maharaja in 1890, when the latter was touring Hassan district.

The works of Elliot are considered guidebooks for coffee growers. They provide information on everything connected to coffee, from planting to curing and marketing. Along with coffee, one can find information on other plants and trees too. 

Graham Anderson, also famed for his knowledge of coffee cultivation, published Jottings on Coffee and its Culture in Mysore in 1879. It functioned as a compendium for many coffee growers of the time. Kannada names of the trees and plants were printed along with the scientific names. When it was published, this work was in great demand among planters. 

Growers like Elliot, Anderson and others who owned large coffee plantations contributed significantly to the economy of Princely Mysore. There was a steady increase in the area under coffee cultivation after 1886. 

In that year, the area under coffee cultivation was 1,02,688 acres. It gradually rose to 1,41,528 acres in 1896. The increase of acreage under coffee was largely due to the interest evinced by the government of the Maharaja of Mysore. 

As and when European-run plantations became more common, they began to play a dominant role in influencing contemporary society in the Malnad region. From 1881 to 1900, coffee saw great demand and production was high. After 1900, because of the rise in the production of coffee in Brazil, the coffee produced here lost its importance abroad. But soon, it became an all-India phenomenon.