In India, 98 percent or coffee farms are small holder. | Photo credit: Carla Carniel
Coffee is not just a drink: it is a global merchandise valued at more than $ 100 billion, linking farmers in the global south with demanding consumers on all continents. While India contributes only about 3 percent of the world’s coffee, the country is increasingly playing an important role in the specialized space. The economy behind this change, balancing global demand with local realities, can be vividly illustrated using Poomaale’s heritage in Kodagu
Global demand: booming but unpredictable
Global coffee consumption reached 170 million 60 kg bags in 2023, according to the International Coffee Organization (ICO). Demand increases in traditional markets such as Europe and the United States, but also in new ones such as China and India. Within this, there is a leg marked towards coffees of sustainable, traceable and high quality origin.
However, behind this growth is a volatile market. Coffee Prices have Swung Widely: From $ 1.00/lb in 2020, Peken at $ 2.25/lb in 2022, and Stabilization Around $ 1.60/lb in Early 2024. And-Based Trading, and and And-Teative Trading, and and Peaking, and Patterarative Trading, and Tasketive Trading, and Hardive Trade and Hardive Trade and the business of skilled, especially the little ones.
Indian coffee coffee growers and volatility challenge
In India, where 98 percent of coffee farms are small producers, prices volatility is a great challenge. Most producers who cultivate Canephoras (robust), or sell in bulk supply chains with little addition. The result: growing input costs, limited price control and reduction margins.
This is the context in which a different approach, a group of regenerative agriculture, was tasks in the heritage of Poomale. Located in the tropical jungles of Kodagu, the farm covers more than 130 acres and focuses on restoring natural biodiversity while growing coffee in harmony with native ecosystems.
Regeneration and control of the value chain
POMALE CANOPHOR CULTIVA CULTORY BY Shadow (ROBUST) under a dense canopy of native trees, using regenerative practices that focus on soil health, water retention and biodiversity. But perhaps the most important thing, the farm does not sell its cherries to the basic products market. Instead, processes and markets its own special grade robust (fine) brand.
This movement: the end -to -end value chain has allowed coffee to common prices, reduce exposure to international prices changes and deliver a consistent and high quality product to urban Indian consumers. The result is more than just economic isolation: it is the creation of a sustainable circular model where ecological restoration and market success go hand in hand.
Consumption changes: the emergence of conscious coffee to drink
Urban consumers of India are becoming increasingly demanding. Specialized coffees, homemade bewers and ethical supply are now part of Mainream conversations. The traceable ethical coffee market is expanding rapidly, with a projected Cag from 20 to 25 percent in the specialized segment until 2030 (Source: Technovio).
With transparency, storytelling and regenerative agriculture in its nucleus, the brand builds not only product loyalty but also the community connection. Consumers are buying more than one taste: they are buying an agricultural philosophy.
The biggest image: climatic risks and future resistance
Canfora, or seen as the “hardest cousin” to Arabica, gaining renewed attention worldwide as climatic conditions become more unpredictable. Its resilience makes it a strategic crop compared to extreme temperature and erratic rain patterns.
Many farms are already ahead of the curve, the combination of natural resistance of Canephora with regenerative soil and water practices that make long -term sustainability possible. As more farmers face climate adaptation pressures, this model offers a template for replication.
Conclusion: from merchandise to the community
The coffee economy is changing, from the price per kilo to the value per history. When focusing on regenerative agriculture, the property of the value chain and consumer education, it is shown that global market forces do not have to leave small snoring.
In the cup, it is still only coffee. But behind each bag there is a restored forest, a revived agricultural system and a new economic model that is written in silence, where global demand does not dictates terms, but inspires the transformation.
The author is CEO and co -founder, Clouded
Posted on April 19, 2025