About Badra

The Badra story dates back to 1943 when the family concern of Badra Estates and Industries Ltd. started cultivating some of South India's finest shade-grown estate coffees. As a company whose primary activity is coffee cultivation, we're also defined by our eco-ethical and environmental responsibilities and an energy-efficient set of practices that we apply to each of our other activities. 

Our plantations are in Karnataka's Chickmagalur District, with one of them, Badra Bettadakhan Estate located at 4650 ft. on the Bababudan Giri Hills, the birthplace of Indian Coffee. The hills are named for a sage Bababudan who legend has it, planted the first coffee seeds which he brought from Yemen in 1670. This lush, tropical highland with its rich, fertile soil is located in Southern India's the Western Ghats, in the state of Karnataka, which accounts for 70% of India's coffee production.

Our estate product range consists of Coffee, Pepper, Cocoa, Cardamom, Rubber & Teak. Under coffee and rubber, our estates total about 1850 acres, at elevations ranging from 2450 ft. to 4650 ft. with annual rainfall ranging between 65 and 115 inches. The gross annual production of coffee ranges between 700 and 900 tonnes of which 70% are washed coffees.

Our plantation verge on forest areas and Badra is home to a diversity of plant, animal, and birdlife. Deer, bison, and wild boar abound and the occasional panther is seen.

All Badra Coffee have been traditionally shade-grown in dappled light to protect them and to enhance the distinctiveness and complexity of flavor. Each estate includes shade canopies of Silver Oak, Mahagony, Rosewood, Ficus, albizzia, acacia, and coconut.

High-grown, varieties of washed arabicas grown at altitudes between 3500 ft. - 4650 ft. Flavour Profile of good body with sweet acidity and chocolate notes.
Washed and double washed robustas grown at altitudes between 2450 ft. - 2850 ft. Flavour Profile of good body with medium acidity and peppery notes.
Pulled, Sundried aerobics & robustas as micro-lots.
Small boutique assortments with distinct flavor profiles and tastes are also available. 

Shade-grown, hand-picked, and sun-dried Badra Coffee, apart from being sold in India, is exported to Italy, USA, UK, Switzerland, Norway, and Japan among other countries.

Heritage & People

Badra Estates & Industries Ltd is a heritage, nearly seven decades old, of traditional methods coupled with the latest state-of-the-art processing technology and a regard for the land and the people who work on it.

Badra Estates has been owned by the Mammen family since 1936: Badra Estates & Industries Ltd. was formed in 1943 and three generations of the family have run it ever since.

At Badra, we regard ourselves as a community where all the stakeholders share a common goal. The people of the area who have worked with us for generations are housed on the estates. A percentage of our workforce is migrant labor who return each picking season.

All workers are organized and unionized with access to a full range of benefits - medical, education, social and recreational, and retirement - as laid down by the Indian Plantation Labour Act 1951. The Indian plantation industry is the only one in the world which legislates worker interests: each planting district has a separate labor court to address labor issues and disputes.

Farming Processes

Traditional growing methods coupled with the latest state-of-the-art processing technology are implemented at our estate. The world has changed and Badra grows to serve evolving consumer and ecological priorities. Forest regeneration and wildlife conservation are a part of our ecosystem.

In operations are these processes to modernize water and soil use and recycling potential: Water management which includes:
> Recycling water in the pulping section for re-use.
> Treating effluent and wastewater, chemically and biologically.
> Electricity generation by turbines driven by the force of the water channeled down estate slopes.
> Soil management which includes: preventing topsoil erosion by staggering regeneration trenches and treating coffee pulp to use as compost.

All post-harvest processes after handpicking such as curing, grading, and garbling are carried out in-house at the Badra Coffee Milling unit located in Balehonnur. The latest machinery and equipment such as the electronic color sorter guarantee that rigid quality controls govern every stage of the process.

Ultimately what's in the cup is what matters and at the Balehonnur QC lab, coffees are cupped and tasted to monitor flavors and profiles across the range of varieties, season to season.

Traceability

Our code has always emphasized sustainability, environmental responsibility, and fair practice long before these became acknowledged international priorities. Knowing the origin of the food has become a need of an hour and the integrity of the processes that create it, the transparency of the supply chain, and proceeds-sharing. The principle of traceability, therefore, is central to our cultivation and post-harvest process.

Awards

Ever since the Coffee Board of India Flavour of India cup Awards were instituted, our name has figured prominently on its list year after year. From 2002 the journey of awards began and The Coffee Board of India Flavour of India cup Awards for 2014 was again awarded to us now it has been our rich tradition in receiving awards year after year and winning the hearts of all coffee lovers. A proud moment to cherish and set benchmarks for ourselves to soar to new heights every day.