Shevaroys (Yercaud)

Shevaroys (Yercaud): Coffee of Tamil Nadu’s Hill Station

The Shevaroy Hills around Yercaud in Tamil Nadu form one of the historic coffee-growing pockets of South India. Cool elevations, forest shade and red laterite soils create favourable conditions for Arabica coffee in these hills.

How coffee reached the Shevaroys

Coffee arrived in the Shevaroy Hills during the 19th century as British planters expanded plantation crops across southern India. The climate and terrain around Yercaud proved ideal for Arabica, and estates gradually appeared across the slopes.

For decades, coffee was an important crop here alongside spices and fruit cultivation.

Landscape and farming

Coffee in the Shevaroys is typically grown under shade trees, often intercropped with pepper, orange and other hill crops. Farms are generally smaller than the large estates found in parts of Karnataka, giving the region a more mixed agricultural landscape.

Cup profile

Coffees from the Shevaroy Hills are often associated with:

• Medium body
• Soft acidity
• Notes of cocoa, nuts and gentle fruit

These characteristics make Shevaroys coffee well suited for balanced roasts and blends.

The modern identity

Today the Shevaroy Hills remain an important though smaller coffee origin in Tamil Nadu. Along with the Nilgiris and Pulney Hills, the region forms part of the state’s contribution to India’s coffee production.

For Indian Kaapi, the Shevaroys represent the classic hill-station coffee landscape where plantation history, forest ecology and small farms meet.