In a region synonymous with tea, a 48-year-old Kalimpong farmer is proving that the hills can brew another story with the successful launch of his coffee brand Gol Simal on Saturday.
Adit Daga, who started growing coffee in Kalimpong in 2011, unveiled his own brand 14 years later.
The Gol Simal is a bird mentioned in hill folklore and is believed to bring prosperity.
“I started growing coffee in a 7.5-acre plantation and now have expanded to more than 15 acres,” said Daga.
The coffee planter says that people are slowly opening up to Kalimpong coffee.
“Our product is not bitter but has a sweet note of nuts,” said Daga, who now has customers from the United States.
Daga has plantations in the Dalapchand and Pala areas of Kalimpong that produce more than 1000kg of coffee annually.
“Coffee plantation is
very sustainable in Kalimpong, if seriously pursued,” said Daga.
“The market for Kalimpong coffee is expanding very fast. In fact, small-time farmers who have land adjacent to my place are now growing coffee,” he added.
The Darjeeling hills have long been associated with tea.
Daga’s father, Krishna Kumar Daga, was a tea planter who worked in various gardens across Darjeeling, Dooars and Assam.
“Growing up in tea gardens inspired me to be a cultivator,” said Daga.
The Bengal government has initiated a project to promote Kalimpong coffee as a distinctive brand following rising demand in recent years.
The state horticulture and fruit processing department, in collaboration with the Kalimpong district administration and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), is working on a five-year roadmap to establish sustainable coffee production and branding in the hill district.
A source in the district administration said the roadmap includes goals such as increased production,
GI tagging, sustainable cultivation practices, streamlined marketing, intercropping models and the formation
of farmers’ interest
groups (FIGs).
“At least 200 farmers from the four blocks of Kalimpong-I, Kalimpong-II, Gorubathan and Pedong will be part of the initiative, with each FIG managing anywhere between five and 10 acres of plantation,” a source said.
The plan aims to set up 10 FIGs per block, provide training in coffee cultivation and build community nurseries.
“As part of the scaling phase, we plan to expand plantation, harvest inter-crops, plan exposure visits and market linkage support,” the source added.