The Coorg Coffee Club, a specialty coffee venture based in Coorg, Karnataka, and Coffee Island, the Greek specialty coffee retailer, launched The Origin Box in Athens on October 1, International Coffee Day. The box includes five specially processed Indian coffees, one from each of five Coorg estates, each named for its estate and grower, and is now on shelves in more than 400 Coffee Island stores across Greece and Cyprus. The Indian Ambassador to Greece, Shri Ravi Shankar, formally launched the collection. It presents Indian coffee to Europe as a curated, traceable specialty origin, with the same rigour and story as origins such as Ethiopia or Colombia, and not as a bulk export.
Key facts
- Five curated specialty processed coffees from Coorg estates, each named for its estate and grower
- Three coffee species in one box: Arabica, Canephora (Robusta) and Excelsa
- Every lot documented from harvest through processing, drying, and roasting
- On sale in more than 400 Coffee Island stores across Greece and Cyprus
- A first-of-its-kind collaboration: Coffee Island’s initiative to promote specialty coffee from India, in partnership with The Coorg Coffee Club
The launch
The Ambassador launched the coffees at an event in Athens, joined by Coffee Island and The Coorg Coffee Club’s leadership, media, and coffee enthusiasts from across Greece. A press conference on September 30 gave media an early look at the collection and a chance to learn more from the team about sourcing, processing, and the road to European shelves. His presence gave the launch diplomatic weight beyond that of a typical trade deal.
“I am very excited that coffee from Coorg, India is finding its place in Greece. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative from Coffee Island, in partnership with The Coorg Coffee Club, to promote specialty coffee from India. It is one more example of the Greece-India partnership, and a great way for coffee lovers here to taste Indian coffee,” said Shri Ravi Shankar, the Indian Ambassador to Greece.
Traceable from estate to cup: Coorg to Greece
The Coorg Coffee Club has worked with 10 estates to produce 10 specially processed coffees. The first edition presents five of them. Much of a coffee’s quality is decided during processing, and that is where the growers and The Coorg Coffee Club have focused their work together. The first edition brings together Arabica, Canephora (Robusta) and Excelsa. Each coffee was processed as its own lot, and every lot is documented from harvest through fermentation, drying and roasting, so anyone who tastes it can follow it back to the grower. Families who have tended these estates across generations will see their names on coffee sold in Athens and Cyprus.
What’s so special about Indian coffee?
What sets these coffees apart begins on the land. Coorg’s estates sit in the forests of the Western Ghats, where coffee grows beneath tall native trees, and an estate looks like a small forest. Shade growing is not a recent choice or a certification label: it is how Coorg and the rest of India have farmed coffee for generations. Ms Sunalini Menon, Founder of Coffee Lab, India, explains.
“India is a land of shade-grown coffee, where the coffee plants thrive beneath endemic shade trees of rosewood, mahogany and cedars, along with fruit trees of figs, jackfruit, oranges and avocados. In the cup, this can unfold as citrus fruits, spices, chocolate and caramel on a bed of smooth, full-bodied mouthfeel,” said Ms Menon. She also welcomed the arrival of these coffees in homes across Greece and Cyprus.
A partnership built on shared values
Both companies work on sustainability, fair sourcing and traceability, and Coffee Island chose Coorg as an origin that fits them. Coffee Island brings market access and retail reach across Greece, Cyprus and the wider European market, and The Coorg Coffee Club brings the origin: the estates, the growers, the processing, and the supply chain story behind every pack.
“Coffee Island’s commitment to making specialty coffee accessible to everyone through direct trade comes alive most authentically and practically through this partnership with The Coorg Coffee Club,” said Panagiotis Konstantinopoulos, Managing Director, Coffee Island. “By selecting the finest beans from the mist-covered hills of Coorg, we bring the hard work, passion, and tradition of Indian farmers directly into homes across Greece and Cyprus. Together, we bridge cultures and continents, proudly showcasing the very best of global coffee.”
First taste of Indian coffee for many
All five coffees were brewed and served at the launch, giving attendees a chance to taste each estate’s lot. For many, it was their first encounter with Indian coffee, and the reaction was one of genuine surprise at just how distinctive and well crafted each cup was.
Karumbaiah, Founder of The Coorg Coffee Club, said: “Well-processed Indian coffee is exceptional. It stands shoulder to shoulder with Ethiopian, Colombian, or Kenyan coffee, with its own distinctive flavour character, and is grown far more sustainably than most people realise. It was truly gratifying to hear the same feedback from coffee enthusiasts in Greece when they tasted our coffees: a country with such a strong coffee culture of its own. We’re grateful to Coffee Island for giving us this platform.”
For coffee drinkers in Greece and Cyprus, The Origin Box offers a rare chance to taste five distinct coffees from India side by side, each one carrying the name of the estate and grower who made it possible.
