Baba Budan, who smuggled coffee beans from Arabia, is said to have planted coffee near his hermitage in Dattatreya peeta in what is present day Karnataka’s Chikmagalur area. However, it was not until the late 1820s that commercial plantations were opened in South India with British enterprise and investment. The cultivation of coffee rapidly progressed during the next 40 years. In 1856, there were only 7 British planters in Mysore. By 1869, their number had increased to 662 owning 8094 ha of the total cultivated area of 58,670 ha. Indian coffee soon established itself as outstanding in quality and became a commodity second to none in the world market. The early pioneers seemed to have preferred the heavy rainfall areas for opening coffee plantations.
In Chikmagalur, the earliest large scale plantation (Mylemoney) was established by Thomos Cannon in 1830. It is still in good productive condition. Frederic Green started growing coffee in Igoor in Sakleshpur (Munzerabad) in 1843. He was followed by Mockett, jupp, Anderson and Elliot a group of highly capable entrepreneurs who have left their mark on the coffee district. In 1843, Fred Meppen opened estates near Yemmedoddi (kadur).
Malabar Muslims brought seeds and seedlings from Dattatreya Peeta which gave birth to the earliest coffee gardens in Nalaknad village in Coorg. Later Fowler near Mercara and Fennel in Uligolly formed their estates in 1854. In 1855, Mann and Stewart opened estates near the Sampaje ghats. Suntikoppa, Balekadu and Yemmegundi were opened by Chisholm in 1860. In 1863, F.Mangles planted coffee in Abikutty, Coovercolly and Haleri. Koundinya was the pioneer who opened coffee in the bamboo district of Coorg.
It is estimated that the total area under coffee in Coorg alone was 11,331 ha in1856. By thenthe number of British planters in the district had risen to 200. The Karnatic coffee company Ltd. (1870) appears to be the earliest company cultivating over 1200 ha in Coorg.
In 1840, Major James Ouchterlony started estates in the O’valley of Nilgiris. Balaharder followed him establishing plantations near Kotagiri. Coffee came to Wayanad in Kerala as early as 1825. Coffee grown in Mananthavady by Brown was known as ‘Anjarakandy Brown’. Coffee in Shevaroys was pioneered by M.D. Cockburn whom established in Kannahatty Estate in 1843. On the Nelliampathies, pardeherry was opened by Arnold in 1860.
Attempts to grow coffee near Castle Rock (Goa) proved futile. Introduction was undertaken in Assam, Orissa and Andamans with little success. Records show that as early as 1898, Brdie introduced Arabica to the Pamuleru valley in Andhra Pradesh by supplying seeds to local people, but with poor results. Similar introduction of Coffee was also made at Sircilla in Karimnagar District (Andra Pradesh) around the same time with good results.