History of Coffee in Meghalaya
Dr.Dondor Giri Falls Tribe Coffee
2016
Introduction: If you travel on foot and trek the remote places of the southern slopes of Meghalaya, bordering Bangladesh, you will occasionally encounter here and there some coffee plants in the wilds. And if you are a coffee drinker you might also wonder how these coffee plants grows in such areas. When asking the people of the areas where coffee is found in the wilds the answer is, invariably, that these coffee plants have been there since time immemorial and that people have been drinking coffee the traditional way. According to the book “Coffee Cultivation in the Khasi Hills” written by B.C.Basu, 1907, the first coffee plantation is said to have been started in 1877 at Jarkaw village near Bholaganj and spread to Wahlong and Sohbar and from these villages the growing of coffee probably spread to Jatap, Nongwar, Laitkynsew, Tyrna and as far as to other villages like Wahmawlein, Wahlakhiat, Mawlat, Sohkha, Amlari and other villages of the southern slopes of Khasi and Jaintia hills as evident from the sporadic discovery of coffee growing in the wilds of these villages. TThe Coffee that grows in the wilds of these villages is the Coffee Arabica. Similarly those Coffee plants found in the wilds are mostly Coffee Arabica. From this account it appears that the origin of coffee in these parts of the world is obscure as history itself and the obscurity is further compounded by the absence of local name, however in one village, Umsawwar, coffee is locally known as “U Bloiñ”. Based on this premise we can say that Meghalaya is also the home of coffee. Two other Coffee species indigenous and home to Khasi Hills are Coffea Bengalensis and Coffea Khasiana which have not been exploited commercially and are on the verge of extinction.
After independence when Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills Districts were then part of undivided Assam nothing is known about the cultivation of Coffee in these hills. It is only when Meghalaya attained its statehood that some Government Departments introduce cultivation of Coffee in places like Nongdaju and other villages but sadly the farmer’s enthusiasm is broken as there was no market for Coffee. Recently, with the setting up of the office of the Joint Liaison Officer of the Coffee Board of India in Shillong and Tura that some progress and development of Coffee cultivation in the state become visible. At present two varieties of Coffee are grown in the state, these are Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta. Still the farmers
are reluctant to pursue and practise Coffee cultivation since most of them are not aware of the market or are not aware of the Coffee Board.
In 2009, Ms.Dasumarlin Majaw opened in Shillong a Coffee Café known as Black and White Café with indigenous Coffee procured from Mawlong which was processed traditionally as taught to her by her Grandmother (L) Mrs.Irene Majaw of Tyrna. The passion, energy and drive that Ms.Dasumarlin Majaw have, later compel her to experiment with a small Indian brand Coffee roaster, a household grinding and blending machines. With feedback from friends and well-wishers; it is found that the flavour of Coffee is satisfactory. The encouragement received from them pushes and drive her to carry out more experiments with different blends and in 2016 installed the Roasting and Grinding Unit in the name of Smoky Falls Tribe Coffee and last year with the assistance from KVIC- PMEGP, Govt.of India, and financed by Indian Overseas Bank, installed a Probatone 5, Probat Coffee Roaster, which makes it the first commercial coffee roaster installed in the North East.
The Smoky Falls Coffee R & G Unit initially which is the first of its kind installed the Probat 5 kg in the North East of India, in 2016, which few years earlier roasted in 1 kg Italian Coffee roaster and later an Indian 5 kg roaster. Procured Coffee from Jatap, Mawlong, Nongjri and Tyrna which was about one metric ton only and the products distributed to retail outlets in Shillong only.
Dasumarlin Majaw, was earlier suggested by few others to source good quality coffee from down south, but she was determined to work on our state coffee and revolutionize Coffee in the north east by working with home grown Coffee from the state of Meghalaya.
The demand for Smoky Falls coffee is quite high and this compel Dr.Dondor Giri Nongkhlaw, her father, to go out to remote villages by way of organising awareness programs and lectures to promote Coffee cultivation. Some of the villages covered are Umpung, Mawpud, Wahlakhiat, Siltham, Lynshing, Umsawwar, Phlangdiloiñ and others.
At present, Smoky Falls Tribe Coffee obtain Coffee from Siltham, Nongjri, Mawryngkang, Lapalang, Mawlatang, Mawkliaw, Kongthong, Khatarshnong, Tyrna, Mustoh, Jatap, Saikrap, Mawsna, Nongrim Jyrmi, Umsning, Marngar, Umpung, Mawpud, Pyndensohsaw, Trongpleng, Nongtraw, Borato, Nongrynniang, Umdihar, Nongrim Jyrmi, Marngar, Sanidan, Amlarem, Amlari, and other villages in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills.
(c)Dr.Dondor Giri Nongkhlaw
