Nepal’s geographic and climatic conditions deliver the finest quality coffee, and so far Gulmi, Nuwakot, Lalitpur, Kavre, Palpa, Syangja, Kaski and Sidhupalchok have been <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Bean-there,271">traditionally famous for beans</a>.&nbsp; Now, even eastern Nepal is proving itself to have the ideal conditions for coffee plantation. In the village of Simma in the Arun Valley, men are mixing fresh soil, women and children pack saplings into plastic sacks, and men water coffee plants under the hot sun. After four years of careful planning by Lakpa Nurbu Sherpa of Ekuwa Makalu Ward 3, who is the founder of the non-profit NPO Nepal, the coffee farm is finally seeing substantial growth.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230902040932_82d14dd212d800e7c02b56394e5fd25235f34a6d91f732464c58ad8144a0e683.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230902040932_82d14dd212d800e7c02b56394e5fd25235f34a6d91f732464c58ad8144a0e683" data-rendition-name="original" width="4032" height="3024" loading="lazy" alt="Coffee in eastern Nepal"> </figure>  It was only five months ago that Sherpa and Chun Bahadur Rai, an agricultural officer based in Bhaktapur and a local, introduced the coffee plant to farmers from Simma and other neighbouring villages.&nbsp; Locals were enthusiastic about the cash crop, and Makalu Ward 3 officer Badri Bahadur Rai convinced them that a coffee farm can support local incomes even as the productivity of cardamom drops. Cardamom has been one of the highest income sources for residents in the Sankhuwasabha district for over two decades. But after 25 lucrative years, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GDknKlenWg&amp;t=1s">crops are reaching the end of their lifespan</a> and suffering from fungal and pest diseases. Nepal’s cardamom production has declined by an estimated 20% since 2021, and export is down by 30%. Simma resident Karna Bahadur Gurung was earning Rs100,000 for every 40kg of cardamom he sold until recently. Farmers now get only one-fourth of that amount. “Few people still have cardamom, but I see the fields are all dying,” notes Gurung. “It was unreal for everybody to get so much money from cardamom, nothing else can pay us that much.” Cardamom crops also reduce the fertility of the soil, and it can take decades for it to be viable again. Still, Gurung hopes to plant cardamom again once the soil has recovered. While the profit has significantly decreased, cardamom remains the largest income source for many in this region below Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain. The hope is that coffee can remedy the income gap caused by the decline of cardamom. The global organic coffee market is expected to continue to grow rapidly and reach an estimated $20-30 billion by 2030. Nepal has been slow to adopt coffee compared to other countries, but <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Nepali-specialty-coffee,4106">domestic and international demand for organic coffee has risen</a>.&nbsp; Nepal’s coffee export reached an all-time high in 2021-2022 at Rs117 million. There is a lot of potential for Nepal to grow its organic coffee industry even more, and Lakpa Nurbu Sherpa is bringing this crop to rural Sankhuwasabha.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230902040944_3f675e98b9ce994db370bada114a37af40e3e8aeccfeac693a3a7fc5b569256e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230902040944_3f675e98b9ce994db370bada114a37af40e3e8aeccfeac693a3a7fc5b569256e" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1536" loading="lazy" alt="Coffee in eastern Nepal"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230902040948_6dddab6ec8fa3c21ae36bbf1b9393cb53c7f6292158cbdac0b57f34fdd4c1e26.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230902040948_6dddab6ec8fa3c21ae36bbf1b9393cb53c7f6292158cbdac0b57f34fdd4c1e26" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1536" loading="lazy" alt="Coffee in eastern Nepal"> </figure>  Sherpa is also involved in school and health clinic initiatives in the Makalu region, and was looking for income sources to substitute cardamom. He wanted to see if coffee trees could thrive in the area after having seen them in Pokhara and Solu Khumbu. Sherpa’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-himalayan-odyssey">trekking</a> clients were also interested in tasting Nepal’s local organic coffee while visiting the country and he was made aware of the large foreign market for local flavours.&nbsp; He was also concerned that everyone in the village was migrating abroad for work, and was exploring ways to increase local income sources. He planted the first coffee seeds in Simma four years ago, and watched them grow into trees within a year. It was clear that Makalu’s soil and climate are ideal for a sustainable coffee farm. Sherpa approached the mayor with a proposal to develop a larger nursery, and the local government gave Rs400,000 for the project. Other villages are seeking similar alternatives: Uwa is beginning an orange farm, and Ulling is looking at honey production. Last month, as the monsoon rains arrived, Simma residents of all ages were packing fresh soil and tree saplings into small plastic nursery bags to be distributed to households. Both young and old helped each other, reflecting the richness of community bond here that is vital for the coffee project to succeed.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230902040944_d386153e932fa31ca723e1e9c393cf09bfcc279d2fc7d721f8c159dc7c87f2aa.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230902040944_d386153e932fa31ca723e1e9c393cf09bfcc279d2fc7d721f8c159dc7c87f2aa" data-rendition-name="original" width="4032" height="3024" loading="lazy" alt="Coffee in eastern Nepal"> </figure>  There has been little top-down oversight of this project. There is trust and confidence that residents will put care and effort into nurturing their coffee plantation. Generational knowledge of farming, collective energy, and a deep concern for the future of their home and children is critical to the success of this project. Locals are cautiously optimistic. Says Karna Bahadur Gurung: “We still do not know how the new coffee plants will fare, no one else has done it in our area before. We must be patient and care for the trees first.”&nbsp; Hanna Wells is a Fulbright scholar researching the impact of the Kosi Highway project on traditional livelihoods in Makalu Municipality.

original

674x448

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

1250x600

1084x550

Make way for Makalu Coffee

Coffee connoisseurs are touting the Third Wave of the beverage: moving beyond the coffee-shop culture epitomised by Starbucks to one that values knowledge of the cherries and beans from the plant to the cup, served up via independent cafés.Like craft beers and boutique hotels, specialty coffee is sweeping the world. In Nepal, however, the Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board continues to label all coffee ‘The Himalayan Specialty’ without first doing a proper quality check, which is misleading consumers and risks leaving local producers shut out of global markets. But an increasing number of growers in Nepal are waking up to smell the coffee.<center><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kdf4A98loE8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></center>“I am continuously hunting for the best coffee origins in Nepal,” says Q-grader Nima Tenzing Sherpa of <a href="http://www.lekalicoffee.com/" target="blank">Lekali Coffee Estate</a>, who believes producing Specialty-grade beans is the only future for Nepal’s coffee industry. “The potential is there, but the perspective of farmers towards coffee needs upgrading because they are the first one handling the cherries.”Nepal’s geographic and climatic conditions are ideal for growing the finest quality coffee beans: shaded hills situated between 1,000m and 2,000m with both ample sunlight and rain. Farmers have been quick to recognise the potential of this global beverage: 32,186 of them in 41 districts are now growing coffee.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/636515329c7e80680e02c1a0jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Lekali coffee estateProducing Specialty-grade coffee starts with selectively picking the red cherries, then storing the green beans away from moisture. Experts like Raj Kumar Banjara <a href="http://himalayanarabica.com/" target="blank">Himalayan Arabica Coffee</a>, which has been Speciality-certified, says currently there are weaknesses all along the supply chain.Banjara is Nepal’s first ‘Q-grader’, certified by the <a href="https://sca.coffee/" target="blank">Specialty Coffee Association of America</a> to rank Speciality Arabica coffee, and says that without more such growers and laboratories to quality test them, Nepal’s coffee will continue struggle for consistency. The effects of climate change have added another complication to that quest.According to Sanat Raj Thala, roaster and brewer of Coffee Time:“If the whole process of producing and packaging of Nepali coffee was done with more scientific research and stricter standards, not only international but domestic markets would be able to enjoy its own product.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/636515339c7e80680e02c1a1jpeg.jpg" alt="">Thala does concede that it will take time for local consumers, used to instant coffee heavy on milk and sugar, to appreciate the Specialty coffee flavour. <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/business/Gagan-Pradhan-and-Himalayan-Java,1076" target="blank">Coffee culture</a> is still young in Nepal though the country counts more than 1,200 cafés today. Converting the nation of tea devotees to coffee lovers is a major challenge, which would have obvious impact on the tea industry.Another hurdle making local producers bitter is a burgeoning black market in lower-quality Indian coffee beans that undercut the Nepali beans. All these challenges will need to be overcome if Nepal’s product is to become part of the global, highly profitable, Third Wave of coffee.<center><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MDlDf-53q0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></center><h2>What is the Third Wave?</h2>First Wave: Profit-driven, mass marketing, air tight containers and instant coffee. Consumption of coffee worldwide starts growing.Second Wave: Artisan-driven, origin and roasting style become important, epitomised by Starbucks and espresso.Third Wave: Characteristics of the beverage take centre stage: origin of the beans, consistent processing techniques and roasting style. Independent coffee shops demonstrate craftsmanship and knowledge of coffee beans from plant to the cup, promoting ethics and transparency.<h2>The Coffee University</h2>It has been less than two months since <a href="http://unicaffe.illy.com/" target="blank">Università Del Caffé</a> inaugurated its 28th branch, and first in Nepal. Yet, it has already completed three Coffee Expert and Coffee Lovers course. The Italian coffee university located at the <a href="http://silvermountain.edu.np/index.php?p1=fullwidth_school&amp;p2=20&amp;mid=15" target="blank">Silver Mountain School of Hotel Management</a>, is dedicated to upgrading Nepalis’ knowledge of coffee, starting from the coffee plantations to the processing right up to training baristas.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/636515359c7e80680e02c1a2jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ryan ChangThe university offers four courses: Coffee Lovers is for those who seek knowledge about the types of beans and their origins. Coffee Expert, including two days of internship, is beginner-friendly, while Master Barista includes tastings. Tailored Consultancy is offered as a customised workshop for those with unique needs.According to Moreno Faina, director of Università Del Caffé,what sets the institution apart is its scientific laboratories, research and intensive field works. “The results are translated to fit the understanding and knowledge level of the Nepali market,” says Faina.With a café-like ambience showcasing various brewing equipment, coffee cups and coffee from Illy, the founding brand of the university, this little hub is a great place to start a conversation about coffee over a cup of coffee.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/636515379c7e80680e02c1a3jpeg.jpg" alt=""> Coffee flowers are white, small and fragrant.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/636515389c7e80680e02c1a4jpeg.jpg" alt=""> The plant starts bearing cherries after 3-5 years of plantation.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/6365153a9c7e80680e02c1a5jpeg.jpg" alt=""> Cherries are sun-dried or wet-processed for pulping.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/6365153c9c7e80680e02c1a6jpeg.jpg" alt=""> Pulped seeds are fermented, washed and dried again.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141132/6365153e9c7e80680e02c1a7jpeg.jpg" alt=""> After the outer layer is removed, beans are graded and sorted.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141136/636515409c7e80680e02c1a8jpeg.jpg" alt=""> Green beans are roasted to achieve various chemical properties.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141136/636515429c7e80680e02c1a9jpeg.jpg" alt=""> Roasted beans are grounded right before brewing for best results.<h2>Who is a Q-Grader?</h2>A Licensed Q-Grader is a highly trained and calibrated coffee expert who professionally grades Specialty Arabica coffee under Specialty Coffee Association of America protocols. They are authentic on tasting, cupping and evaluating coffee quality very objectively.Raj Kumar Banjara, Nepal’s first Q-Grader who recently returned from China after renewal of his license.

Riding coffee’s Third Wave

mainNavigation

footerNavigation

opinionSubnav

coffee-culture

Make way for Makalu Coffee

Riding coffee’s Third Wave