BRAND ORIGINS
Our story begins on a trip to Nepal in 2018. We found ourselves in the heights of the Himalayas, taking in the awe-inspiring landscape while sipping on a cup of local and delicious coffee grown in the nearby heights. After having been engulfed in such a surreal experience, the only thing occupying our minds was, of course, how no other coffee would ever live up to what we had just indulged in. And with that, the idea of creating Kaphi Kapa to farm and roast artisan Nepalese coffee was born.
History of Coffee in Nepal
Despite being over five centuries old, coffee farming has only recently been introduced to Nepal, having only been brought to the South Asian nation in the late 1930s.
The Agriculture Development Bank of Nepal initiated coffee farming by importing seeds and distributing it to smallholder farmers across the country. International Non-Governmental Organisations stepped in later, engaging in coffee cultivation with the objectives of preventing soil erosion and environmental protection.
The first farmers to establish a coffee nursery were in Gulmi in 1981. Coffee cherries, which are the pits inside coffee beans, were roasted and ground in a conventional manner but were only used locally and not sold commercially. Similarly, the Tinau Watershed Project in 1982 initiated more coffee plantation for environmental protection.
In 1983, the processing of coffee beans at a larger scale started in the Rupandehi district. The reason behind this being that smallholder farmers perceived coffee an easy crop to grow, due to its limited required inputs, minimal irrigation, ability to grow on uplands, and a general minimum level of effort needed. The government, after analyzing and recognizing the economic, environmental and social benefits, adopted coffee as a cash crop suitable for the Mid Hills of Nepal. Since then, along with international development partners, coffee production initiatives have been propelled.
Seeing to the potentiality of the coffee crop, the Government of Nepal in 1993 started activities by establishing institutional structures. In 1993, under the Fruit Development Directorate of the Department of Agriculture, the Government of Nepal enacted the Coffee and Tea Development Board Act.
In 1994, for the first time, Nepalese dry processed green coffee beans were exported to Japan. Farmers’ Knowledge and skill have been growing ever since, which we intend to utilise, striving to bring you the perfect cup of coffee.