Hospura

HospuraHospuraHospuraHospura
CountryIndia
RegionBaba Budan Giri
FarmHospura
Altitude1300 MASL
Size of the farm12ha

Hospura Estate is a 12-hectare coffee farm located in the historic Baba Budan Giri region of Karnataka, India. The estate is renowned for its biodiversity-rich cultivation system, where coffee is grown beneath a dense polyculture canopy comprising a wide variety of native and endemic tree species. This shaded agroforestry landscape provides critical habitat for numerous wildlife species, including birds such as the Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Blyth’s Starling, and Malabar Parakeet, as well as mammals like the Spotted Deer and the Indian Flying Squirrel.

The estate is managed by Zuheb Abrar, a third-generation coffee farmer, alongside his father. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Abrar chose to return to the family farm in 2016, driven by his passion for agriculture, nature, and life outdoors. Since then, he has focused on stewarding the estate’s rich ecological heritage while producing high-quality coffee. Beyond farming, Abrar is an avid animal enthusiast who enjoys caring for his pets and maintains a collection of exotic pigeons on the estate. He lives in Chikkamagaluru, just 12 kilometres from Hospura Estate, with his parents, wife, son, and daughter.

The story of coffee in India is closely intertwined with Baba Budan Giri. According to legend, in 1670, the Sufi saint Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee seeds from Yemen and planted them in these hills, introducing Arabica coffee to India and establishing one of the world’s earliest coffee-growing regions. Situated at the foothills of this historic landscape, Hospura Estate continues a coffee- growing tradition that spans more than three centuries.

PROTECTION OF WILD ANIMALS

KaadKaapi is a collective in South India which keeps animals free to move and passage in the countryside and around farms.

It supports long-term sustainability by working with farmers in Chikmagalur and Coorg districts to implement wildlife-friendly cultivation methods, providing financial and advisory support, and ensuring access to premium international markets. This approach benefits both wildlife conservation and local farmers economically.

Traditional coffee agroforests in this region help preserve local biodiversity by providing alternative habitats for wildlife. However, market changes and rising cultivation costs are driving farmers towards practices that harm biodiversity.

About the coffee

Our partner farms cultivate both traditional Indian Arabica varieties and cultivars that have been introduced to India from other coffee-growing regions around the world. Many of these varieties were developed through breeding programmes aimed at improving disease resistance, adapting plants to local growing conditions, or enhancing cup quality.

Among the most significant Indian varieties is S795, developed in the 1940s from breeding material introduced from Kenya. It remains one of India’s most widely cultivated Arabica varieties, valued for its reliability, adaptability, and well-balanced cup profile. Another important variety is SLN9, developed at the Coffee Research Station in Balehonnur as a cross between Ethiopian Tafarikela and Hybrido de Timor. Considered one of the newer Indian cultivars, it is recognised for its excellent cup quality. Chandragiri is another notable Indian variety, bred as a more disease-resistant alternative to Kent. Thanks to its high yield potential and quality, it has become increasingly common on Indian coffee farms in recent years.

Alongside these Indian varieties, many of our partner farms are also cultivating internationally recognised cultivars such as Geisha, Bourbon, Catuai, as well as other experimental varieties. The selection of cultivars varies between farms and evolves from harvest to harvest, reflecting each producer’s decisions and the ongoing development of Indian specialty coffee.

IN-26-060 Hospura W

Fully ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked and hand sorted, then they use the density sorting to remove underdeveloped, damaged, and low-density cherries, as well as other foreign matter. After pulping, the parchment coffee is transferred to sealed food-grade barrels and inoculated with mosto from a previous anoxic fermentation lot. Acting as a fermentation catalyst, the mosto introduces an active microbial community that helps guide and accelerate the fermentation process. The coffee undergoes 48 hours of anoxic fermentation, after which it is washed mechanically to remove residual mucilage. The washed parchment is then dried on raised beds and/or patios for approximately 15 days using a combination of shade drying and polyhouse drying until the target moisture content is reached. The dried coffee is subsequently cupped, quality assessed, and segregated into individual lots before stabilization in storage. Following this, the coffee is machine hulled, colour sorted, and hand sorted to ensure consistency and defect control, and is finally packed in hermetic Grain Pro bags and prepared for export.

IN-26-061 Hospura N 4

Fully ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked, hand sorted, and density sorted in water to remove floaters and foreign matter. The selected cherries undergo 72 hours of anoxic fermentation in sealed food-grade barrels, followed by approximately 25 days of drying on raised beds and / or patio using a combination of shade drying and polyhouse drying. Once the desired moisture level is achieved, the dried cherries are cupped, quality assessed, and segregated into lots before being stabilized in storage. The coffee is then machine hulled, colour sorted, and hand sorted to ensure consistency and defect control, and is finally packed in hermetic Grain Pro bags and prepared for export.

IN-26-062 Hospura N 1

Fully ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked, hand sorted, and density sorted in water to remove floaters and foreign matter. The selected cherries undergo 72 hours of anoxic fermentation in sealed food-grade barrels, followed by approximately 25 days of drying on raised beds and / or patio using a combination of shade drying and polyhouse drying. Once the desired moisture level is achieved, the dried cherries are cupped, quality assessed, and segregated into lots before being stabilized in storage. The coffee is then machine hulled, colour sorted, and hand sorted to ensure consistency and defect control, and is finally packed in hermetic Grain Pro bags and prepared for export.

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