Every Morning , individuals are split into two groups: those who enjoy tea and those who prefer coffee. Although Nepal is a tea culture country, Coffee Culture is making into hearts of people slowly. Its been a part of Daily life of the people. From the busy street of Thamel to Rooftop cafe of Basantapur or a Manual coffee of Karma, each cafe have a unique taste of coffee. While Nepal may not be the first choice if you are thinking aboout coffee but trust me Coffee Culture in Nepal have advanced lot more.

You Find yourself in the busy Street in City or you find yourself in the mountaing Trekking you can always find a cup of strong coffee.In recent years, coffee consumption and production have seen a steady rise, marking a significant shift in the country’s gourment landscape. This article hunt through into the factors driving Nepal’s coffee Culture and the growing appreciation for this aromatic beverage.

Introduction

Coffee was first introduced to Nepal in the late 20th century. However it wasn’t until the early 21st century that coffee begain to gain popularity as a beverage among local people. Traditionally, tea had always been the preferd hot beverage. The slow and steady shift towards coffee can be attributed to globalization, tourism , and young denographic in abroad exposed to the international trends.

While In Nepal its unclear who started the coffee farming, On the one hand coffee was first introduced in Nepal by Hira Giri in 1938. As per the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Giri broughtsome seeds of coffee from Myanmar and planted them in Aapchaur, Gulmi for the first time. On the other hand, Gurkha soldiers and Nepali workers working at South Indian coffee plantations are attributed by some coffee traders forbringing coffee seeds from India so that they can cultivate coffee in Nepal and locally consume them after coming back to Nepal.

Being the touristic country , its has also helped to blossom the coffee Culture . As western People prefer coffee as a hot Beverage. Being one of the backbone of Neplease ecomomy , the country evolved and adopts to the western culture.

Cultivation ( Coffee Kheti)

Nepal is a Diverse geographic country, Divided in three region i.e Himalayan , Hilly and Terai region. Nepal is blessed with a fertile land in each region , with each region suitable for different crops and food crop. The Hilly part of the country is the ideal conditon for coffee cultivation. Arabica beans thrive in the mountainous terrain, as there is a fertile land , High altitude and lots of rainfall.

As an alien crop in the soil of Nepal, the coffee cultivation have been passed from one farmer to onother, due to that coffee plantations have spread to approximately 40 districts including Lalitpur, Gulmi , Palpa, Sindupalchok, Kavre , syanja and others.This geographical advantage has encouraged small-scale farmers to cultivate coffee, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and economic development in rural areas.

Production

Despite gaining recognition for its high quality, distinctive flavours there is limited production that is omitting the country from capturing benefits from coffee business.Being not exposed to the Fertilizer farming , farmers in nepal often use organic farming methods, focus on environmental sustainability and producing beans with unique Flavour by altitude. According to source, Based on the quality and aroma of the Nepali produce, it is sold at a good price of around US $ 16 per kg in the international market.

Absolute Beauty

Challenges and Future Prospects

The production of coffee is still small and doesn’t even fulfill the demand of the Local market. As a result, Nepal is forced to import instant and branded organic coffee from different parts of the world, forcing to spend the dollar for the reserve. The Government and the association should have a regualr information and awarness programs to the new farmers, and get more people involved in coffee farming in Nepal to preserve coffee culture. And also gving traning to the old farmer that would imply it to be professionally involves in the field.

According to National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB)

At present, we are only producing around 500 tonnes of green beans and that is inadequate when we look at the global and domestic demand
of 6000 tonnes for Nepali coffee,” said Dipak Khanal, director of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board.

Source

Coffee Culture Social and Economic Impact

City like Kathmandu, Pokhara , Dharan and more are the cornorstone of the Nepal coffee culture evolution. The cafe and coffee shops offer the varities of the coffee items, fron a single shot of espresso to traditional and fusion coffee. These establishments have become a social hub for a young demography . The growing coffee culture have psoitive social and ecomonic impact. It provides employment opportunities , especially for rural communities and helps uplift from the poverty.Women in specifically contribute a lot in coffee cutivation and processing, empowering them economically and socially within their communities.

Message to the Reader

Next time if you find yourself in Nepal. Please take a moment and hava a sip of the authentic locally brewed coffee. Whether you are in busy street of kathmandu or in a lake side of pokhara , have a cup of coffee brewed locally and be part of historical ,traditional coffee culture of Nepal.