General

Once a landscape of rocky gullies and wild terrain, the foothills of Deomali in Odisha’s Koraput district are now the heartland of a silent agricultural revolution—thanks to a botanist-turned-farmer, Pradeep Kumar Mohanty. In 1987, Mohanty initiated Koraput’s first organized coffee plantation. Spanning 72 hectares, his farm now produces 45 tonnes of coffee annually and serves [...]

In the late 1980s, when Koraput’s rugged landscape was more synonymous with isolation than agriculture, a quiet revolution began brewing in its red earth. Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, a botanist by training and a visionary at heart, turned his back on a promising academic career to breathe life into Orissa’s forgotten hills—with coffee.

Under the visionary leadership of Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, Koraput’s Arabica coffee has emerged as a globally recognized brand, celebrated for its distinct flavor profile and premium quality. What began as a regional experiment has now become a symbol of excellence in the world of coffee, with accolades pouring in from international competitions and conferences.

The story of Pradeep Kumar Mohanty is not just about coffee—it’s about community transformation. Through the establishment of coffee farms in remote villages like Sundhiput and Nuapat, Mohanty introduced a model of sustainable agriculture that became a beacon of hope for tribal communities in Koraput.

Pradeep Kumar Mohanty’s inspiring journey from a dedicated botanist at the Central Rice Research Institute to becoming a celebrated coffee planter in Koraput is a testament to the power of passion and purpose. In the early 1980s, driven by a deep fascination with coffee cultivation and a desire to uplift rural communities, he made the [...]