The Coffee Story

Coffee is more than a drink—it’s a ritual, a culture, and a global industry worth billions. How did this simple bean become the second-most traded commodity in the world after crude oil?

From mythical beginnings to global dominance, it’s a fascinating journey of coffee through the centuries.

The origins of coffee are steeped in legend. In Ethiopia, folklore tells of a goat herder named Kaldi who noticed his goats acting unusually lively after eating berries from a certain tree. Intrigued, Kaldi brought these berries to a local monastery, where monks brewed them into a drink. A beverage that helped them stay alert during long hours of prayer.

This energising discovery quickly spread throughout Ethiopia, eventually reaching the Arabian Peninsula. This story remains a charming way to introduce coffee’s early history, even if the exact details are lost to time.

By the 15th century, coffee was cultivated and traded across the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen became the epicentre of coffee production, particularly around the port of Mocha, which became synonymous with the drink.

In cities across the Middle East, public coffeehouses emerged as vital hubs of social activity. These establishments weren’t just for drinking coffee—they became venues for music, chess, poetry, and lively debates. Known as “Schools of the Wise,” these coffeehouses played a pivotal role in the cultural and intellectual life of the time.

The first coffee house in the world is believed to have originated in Constantinople in 1475, making it approximately 550 years old.

Two world-famous people, Picasso and Neruda. A painter and a writer. The first part of both their names is common—Pablo. Both cherished coffee and shared it with their girlfriends. There is a brand called Neruda Coffee. Love blooms and fades in a coffee house, he wrote.

The French writer Balzac drank up to 50 cups of coffee a day.. Ernest Hemingway and Charles Dickens were the two other coffee-drunkards!. Chocolate coffee was the favourite of the famous thinker and writer Voltaire.

The fame of coffee grew as pilgrims visiting Mecca shared its energising properties with travellers and merchants, spreading its popularity to new regions.

Coffee arrived in Europe in the 17th century, carried by traders and travellers returning from the Near East. Initially, it faced resistance. Some clergy denounced it as the “bitter invention of Satan,” but Pope Clement VIII famously intervened, tasting the drink himself. Delighted by its flavour, he gave coffee his blessing, allowing it to flourish across Christendom.

Coffeehouses became central to European life, especially in cities like Venice, London, and Paris. In England, they were nicknamed “penny universities” because a penny bought not just a cup of coffee but access to stimulating conversations. These spaces became breeding grounds for intellectual thought, business ideas, and networking.

Coffee soon replaced traditional breakfast beverages like beer and wine, ushering in a more energised and productive workforce. This shift symbolised coffee’s growing influence on European society.

As coffee’s popularity grew, European powers competed fiercely to control its cultivation. The Dutch were pioneers, establishing coffee plantations in Java, Sumatra, and other parts of Indonesia during the 17th century. These efforts created a thriving trade network and marked the beginning of coffee’s globalisation.

The Americas entered the coffee scene in the 18th century. French naval officer Gabriel de Clieu famously transported a coffee seedling from Paris to the Caribbean island of Martinique. Despite storms, sabotage, and pirate attacks, he successfully planted the seedling, which became the ancestor of millions of coffee trees in the Americas.

Brazil’s coffee industry owes its origins to an act of charm and subterfuge. Francisco de Mello Palheta, a Brazilian emissary, persuaded the wife of the French Guiana governor to secretly gift him coffee seeds. These seeds formed the foundation of Brazil’s coffee empire, which remains a global leader in production today.

By the late 18th century, coffee had become one of the world’s most lucrative crops, shaping colonial economies and fostering international trade.

Throughout history, coffeehouses have been at the heart of cultural and political revolutions. In 18th-century Europe, they were the meeting places of intellectuals, fueling the Enlightenment and other transformative movements. Similarly, in America, coffee played a symbolic role during the Boston Tea Party. As colonists protested British taxation on tea, they adopted coffee as a patriotic alternative—a tradition that endures to this day..

It can be said that the arrival of coffee in India is through the Sufi tradition. Around 800 AD, on his way back from Mecca to India, a Sufi monk named Baba Budhan visited Yemen and brought back seven coffee bean seeds from there. He buried them in his ashram in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka. Later, the place where he cultivated them became famous as Baba Budhan Hills. During the British rule, coffee cultivation spread to other parts of South India.

This commercial growth of coffee was initiated and encouraged by the British. Since then, coffee has gained popularity, both as a crop as well as a beverage. The regions of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and a few northeast regions are the largest producers of coffee in the country.

The best mornings in a Tamil household start with Filter Coffee, fondly called as “kaapi”. For a South Indian, more specifically a “Tamilian”, Coffee is not just a drink but an emotion.

Coffee has transcended its role as a simple beverage in the 21st century. It’s a lifestyle, a status symbol, and a cornerstone of modern culture. The rise of global coffee chains like Starbucks has revolutionised the coffee culture and how coffee is consumed, emphasising convenience and customisation.

Today, as you sip your morning brew, you’re participating in a story centuries in the making—a story of resilience, connection, and the enduring allure of this remarkable beverage.