Coffee farming in Gulmi
Gulmi district in western Nepal is well known for producing high quality coffee.
Our 3,000 small-scale farmers are spread across the steep land and gentle rolling hills. Gulmi is the centre of coffee production in Nepal with great potential to produce premium, organic Nepalese Arabica.
Coffee grows above 1,000m, against the backdrop of majestic mountains Nilgiri Himal, Dhawalagiri, Machhapuchre, Gaurishankar, and Annapurna. There are valleys, rivers and lakes including Madane, Thaple, Resunga Bishukharka, Musikot, Malika, Dhurkot, Timure, and Chandrakot.
Many of our coffee fields have views of Machapuchare massif in the north central of our spectacular country. We know this grand mountain as “the tail of the fish” in Nepalese. It dominates our coffee region with the light always changing on the capped mountain peak. It is a sacred mountain to our people and one of the most untouched places in the world.
Other coffee farmers across our region look to the highest mountain that stands completely in our borders, Dhaulagiri, it is 8,167m ASL. Its name means “white beautiful mountain”.
Caring for our coffee lands
Our coffee gives incomes to people living in these remote areas. Coffee keeps our land cared for; in Nepal it is used to prevent soil erosion. As the District Cooperative, our purpose is to care for this special land. We take this seriously.
We hold our environment as the key to building a sustainable coffee industry that maintains our natural heritage. We respect and care for our natural wonders and resources. We honour the organic approach of “do no harm” which extends to our natural environment.
37% of our land is hardwood, coniferous and community forest, water bodies, and grasslands. Our coffee also grows close to the Resunga and Madane protected forests, and Schima-Castanopsis-Chir Pine, lower temperate oak and temperate mountain oak forests.
Our ethos is very important as our farmers are spread across the district at different altitudes and intermingle with many animals. These include the leopard, Himalayan black bear, wild boar and even the barking deer and jungle cat.
We have glorious birds, too, including the globally threatened red-headed vulture and steppe eagle. Other frequent birdlife includes the eastern goldfinch, speckled piculet, green shrike-babbler, lesser whitethroat, wallcreeper, little forktail, Himalayan rubythroat, and scarlet finch.
We care for our incredible biodiversity using certified organic farming systems. Coffee plays a big role bringing extra income through organic processes that care for biodiversity and conserve our natural assets.
Gulmi has many waterways including Thaple and Raniban lakes and Badighat, Kali Gandaki, and Ridi rivers. The rivers provide water for drinking, swimming, and playing. They swell in the monsoonal rains in July to October, bringing heavy, often daily, rains to the coffee fields.
