Profile Overview
Nandan Gowda is a seventh-generation coffee grower from Thogarihunkal Estate in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. He earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Coffee Quality Management from the Coffee Board of India, belonging to the second batch of students to do so since it was introduced In 2001. Building on his family’s legacy, he has made a significant impact in the single-estate specialty coffee market.
Chikmagalur, often called the coffee heartland of India, has birthed several stories of tradition, heritage, and innovation in coffee cultivation. One such story is that of Nandan Gowda, a coffee cultivator-turned-entrepreneur, whose journey is a testament to the immense opportunity in the coffee industry. Nandan’s hard work and out-of-the-box thinking changed his family estate into one of the most recognised names in premium coffee roasting and retailing. Over two decades, he reinvented the humble family business his forefathers established into a cutting-edge coffee growing, roasting and trading engine.
Thogarihunkal Estate - a legacy of innovation brewed with tradition
Family Legacy Deeply Rooted in Coffee Cultivation
Nandan's journey began in Chikmagalur, where he was born into a family with a rich legacy in coffee cultivation. He spent his childhood growing up on the estate that belonged to his family, surrounded by the pristine plantations and invigorating Chikmaglur climate.
“It started in 1857. My great-great-grandfather came here from about 15-20 kilometres away and settled down. The estate is called ‘Thogarihunkal’—named after the village,” he says.
For generations, Nandan's family had been growing coffee, but much of it was limited to selling beans in bulk without venturing into branding or value addition.
Despite his family’s history of coffee, Nandan's relationship with the beverage started much later. His formal introduction to coffee happened after he completed his Bachelor’s in Business Management in 2000 and joined a post-graduate diploma course on Coffee Quality Management offered by the Coffee Board of India.
The course focused extensively on cupping and tasting and Nandan soon found himself being able to discern the complex and rich flavours in his coffee. He began to understand what he liked, disliked and what people wanted to taste in their coffee.
“It's ironic,” Nandan admits, “Even though I grew up surrounded by coffee, I never had a cup until I entered the business.”
This was also a time when cafes and coffee shops began cropping up across the country, and Nandan found himself enjoying newer varieties of coffee like cappuccinos. With his newfound love for the bean, he began viewing coffee as a product with immense potential for value addition. Empowered by his formal education in business and his family heritage in coffee cultivation, he decided to enter the coffee business.
It's ironic: even though I grew up surrounded by coffee, I never had a cup until I entered the business.
- Nandan Gowda
Genesis of Hunkal Coffee: From Farm to Cup
After years of growing coffee beans and selling them through traditional channels, Nandan envisioned starting his coffee brand. By this time, the government had liberalised the coffee industry, allowing farmers to trade coffee independently. In 2009, he and his family decided to launch their brand, focusing not just on cultivation but also on roasting, retailing, and B2B partnerships. They initially named their venture “Hunkal Heights,” and later “Hunkal Coffee,” a name that would soon become synonymous with quality coffee in the region.
At first, establishing their new brand was challenging. They approached multiple small cafes in Bangalore, trying to secure partnerships. Soon, Nandan’s perseverance paid off with a successful partnership with Truffles a popular café chain in Bangalore, marking his entry into the competitive café scene by replacing Illy Coffee. This initial milestone was crucial because it demonstrated that Hunkal Coffee could upend the market by replacing a well-known brand already offered there. With this success, Nandan gained the confidence to approach more establishments, including a major hotel in Hyderabad, where he supplied coffee to their convention centre.
Hunkal Height’s USP relied on high-quality, single-estate coffee and ensured consistent freshness. Unlike many brands that took weeks to deliver, they aimed at offering roasts based on customer orders, providing them with freshly roasted beans on time. As they continued to grow, they refined their processing techniques, moving from simply well-processed coffee to a speciality focus, ensuring they selected only the ripest cherries.
“Initially, the process was quite simple—after harvesting, we would wash the produce and send it for curing. It wasn’t specialised; it was just well-processed at that point. From 2006 onwards, however, we began refining the process and introduced more specialised techniques” Nandan explains.
This shift concentrated on cherry sorting and picking, where the accuracy of selecting ripe cherries increased from 60% to roughly 99%.
Coffee roasting at Thogarihunkal Estate
A cup of Hunkal Coffee, anyone?
Breakthrough with Blue Tokai
Despite the success of Hunkal Coffee in the local market, Nandan still felt that the coffee he sold should reflect the identity of his estate. He began exploring different methods of selling coffee and started with green coffee - the processed and unroasted beans. However, they weren’t sold under the Thogarihunkal estate name.
“We only sold through curing facilities, and no restaurants would buy directly from us—they used to take roasted beans exclusively. The estate name wasn’t marketed as a brand,” Nandan recalls.
This changed when Blue Tokai approached him through the Coffee Board of India. Nandan's estate coffee had won some awards for its robusta blends, which caught the franchise’s eye. He sent them some samples and they decided to feature the Thogarihunkal estate in their portfolio. This was the first time their green coffee beans were sold under the estate name.
Being recognised by Blue Tokai was instrumental in establishing Thogarihunkal Estates as a brand. Since then, Nandan has had a continuous journey with them. He began venturing into more niche processing methods, including micro-lots, focusing on washed and honey-processed Arabica.
As Hunkal Coffee’s reputation grew, so did its customer base. By 2016, the brand had not only expanded into retail but also set up its first physical outlet in Bangalore, which quickly gained traction.
“People started recognising us for our single-origin coffee, and our estate,” Nandan explains.
This was a moment of pride for him, who had, from day one, been committed to offering his customers high-quality, full-bodied and flavourful coffee that represented his family and the estate.
This motivated Nandan to focus on producing cleaner and more sophisticated coffee. He began experimenting with fermentation and drying techniques.
“Earlier, we used to just dry the coffee on the ground, out in the open. It worked for a bit, but the problem was, that the sun would be too harsh during the afternoons, and the beans would dry unevenly or sometimes too fast. So, we switched to this tray system—now the beans are off the ground, and they get better airflow," Nandan explains.
His attention to detail led to many small changes that eventually elevated Thogarihunkal Estates into a premium coffee brand.
We complement each other. While my father and uncle focus on what they do best—growing coffee—I can concentrate on building the brand.
- Nandan Gowda
The Family Blend- Nandan’s Support System
While Nandan may be the face of Hunkal Coffee, the business is a part and parcel of the family. Nandan's father and uncle continue to oversee the coffee cultivation at the estate, while he manages the roasting, marketing, and retail side of the business.
“They always say that growing coffee is their end of the business, and selling it is mine,” Nandan laughs.
The family’s close-knit dynamic is one of the reasons for their success.
“We complement each other,” Nandan says. “While my father and uncle focus on what they do best—growing coffee—I can concentrate on building the brand.”
In 2015, Nandan took another big step by turning the family business into a private limited company. Currently, his father, uncle, cousin and himself serve as directors.
Nandan Gowda and his family
Hunkal Coffee Today
Today, Hunkal Coffee has over 10 outlets across Bangalore, Mysore, and Chikmagalur, with a growing presence in B2B and retail sectors. The brand’s success is a testament to Nandan’s unwavering commitment to quality, transparency, and customer satisfaction.
They have scaled their coffee production to nearly two tonnes a day, and are currently in the process of moving to a new facility to keep up with their processing and roasting demands. And it seems that Nandan’s love for coffee has scaled too - from drinking no coffee to nearly 8 or 9 cups a day.
Follow
us on
