According to Nepal's National Tea and Coffee Development Board, a hermit named Hira Giri brought coffee seeds from Burma in 1938 and planted them in Aapchaur, Gulmi. Some traders instead credit Gurkha soldiers and workers returning from South Indian plantations.
Coffee stayed a curiosity until the late 1970s, when the government imported seeds from India and set up a processing plant. The Nepal Coffee Company followed in 1983 to 1984.
Coffee now grows in about 40 districts, at roughly 500 tonnes a year.
What the record says
- Hira Giri, described as a Burmese hermit, is credited with bringing coffee seeds to Aapchaur, Gulmi, in 1938.1,2
- Some traders credit Gurkha soldiers and Nepali workers on South Indian plantations with bringing the seeds instead.1
- Coffee remained a 'curiosity plant' until the late 1970s, when the government imported seeds from India and set up a processing plant.1,2
- Nepal Coffee Company was established in Manigram, Rupandehi, in 1983 to 1984.1,2
- Coffee is grown in approximately 40 districts.1
- Nepal produces roughly 500 tonnes of green beans a year.1,2
- Exports rose from about 3.6 tonnes a year before 2000 to about 84 tonnes two decades later.1,2
The two sources contradict each other on where the coffee goes: Online Khabar says about 70 percent is drunk at home, the Kathmandu Post says about 70 percent is exported. Neither is stated. Some write-ups call Hira Giri a 'mythic' figure; the story is attributed to the board.
- Coffee in Nepal · Onlinekhabar English in the bibliography
- Nepalis wake up and smell Nepali coffee · The Kathmandu Post, 2019 in the bibliography
