Coffee
Brief History
Coffee was first discovered in the Eastern parts
of Africa now known as Ethiopia by a goat herder named Kaldi who realized
his goats become friskier after eating berries from a certain bush.
Later, Coffee berries were transported from Ethiopia to the Arabian
Peninsula and were first cultivated in the country of Yemen. From there,
the beans traveled to Turkey where they were roasted crushed and then
boiled in water, to create a crude version of the beverage.
Coffee first arrived on the European continent through Venetian trade
merchants. Coffee houses spread quickly across Europe, and became centers
for intellectual exchange where great minds heightened thought and creativity.
Coffee was declared the national drink of the then colonized United
States by the C. Continental congress, in protest of the excessive tax
on tea levied by the British Crown.
Espresso, a recent innovation in coffee preparations, obtained its origin
in 1822 with the innovation of the espresso machine in France. Perfected
by the Italians this machine converted Espresso into an integral part
of Italian life and culture. Today there are over 200,000 Espresso bars
in Italy.
Second only to petroleum, in terms of Dollars traded worldwide; the
coffee industry is a global giant, which employs more than 20 million
people. With over 400 billion cups consumed every year, coffee is today
the world's most popular beverage
Indian Coffee
Indian Coffee, unique in its characteristics, is grown under the shade with filtered sunlight to ensure its slow and even maturation. India produces both Arabica and Robusta coffees. Arabica is grown at elevations between 3000 and 6000 feet whereas Robusta is grown at lower elevations. As in most countries, Indian coffee is processed by the wet (or washed) method as well as dry (or unwashed) method.
Facts & Figures
India's average annual production is 240,000 tons of which 45% is Arabica and 55% is Robusta. Exports consist of 85% green coffee exports and 15% of instant and roasted coffee. The seasons of exports are.
Arabica
coffee - January to May / June
Robusta coffee - March
to July
Monsoon coffee - August
to October
Role of GILL & Co.
Gill & Co. Pvt.Ltd. has been involved in the business
of exporting coffee for many decades. In the year 2000, we formed a joint
venture company with Ecom Agro Industrial Corporation, a leading Swiss
based company, committed to the coffee business for over 60 years. This
collaboration was named Ecom Gill Coffee Trading Pvt.Ltd. and operated
for the purpose of coffee trading and processing.
With its head trading office in Bangalore - India's main coffee trading
center, the office is strategically located near vital members of the
Indian Coffee Industry such as the coffee auction center, India Coffee
Board, and numerous shipping companies, Ecom Gill Coffee Trading Pvt.Ltd.
operates a dry milling facility near Kushalnagar, as well as many toll
facilities in the hilly areas of Chikmangalur, Mysore, Coorg, and Giri.
Here, unwashed and washed Arabica and Robusta Coffee is processed milled
and bagged for export.