All images courtesy of Paul John Indian Caffeine Co.
The granddaughter of an Indian coffee plantation owner is hoping to change certain preconceived notions in the United States with the launch of Paul John Indian Caffeine Co. in Tampa, Florida.
“The idea and the concept of starting this business was always to promote Indian coffee — India as an origin,” Paul John Founder and Sole Owner Shonali Paul told Daily Coffee News. “In Indian coffee, the offerings are generally Monsoon Malabar, maybe a robusta. That’s what the general people would know about Indian coffee, if they know about Indian coffee. We bring in a peaberry. We bring in an arabica cherry or natural process. We bring in a variety of green that most aren’t able to.”
Paul technically launched the business in 2023, with green coffees sourced from the cooperative mills of Coorg, Karnataka, where small estate holders like her grandfather bring their cherries for processing.
Paul John Indian Caffeine Founder Shonali Paul.
While the “Caffeine” in the name is intentionally broad should the company expand into tea, whisky aficionados may recognize the Paul John name and logo. Those are shared by Paul John Indian Single Malts, the international alcohol brand owned by John Distilleries, which was founded in 1996 by Shonali Paul’s father, Paul P. John.
Paul John Indian Caffeine is a separate company that, with permission and with love, benefits from the brand recognition while nodding proudly to the family’s entrepreneurial legacy.
“My dad started his own business, and he’s very encouraging that we [his children] should all do our own thing and be proud of the products and businesses that we create,” Shonali Paul said.
As an importer, Paul John Indian Caffeine currently brings six varieties of Indian green coffee to the United States, selling them to U.S. roasters or roasting them for direct online sales.
While attempting to highlight the inherent flavors and high quality of the coffees, Shonali aims to rally buyers who wish to support Indian smallholder farmers who may not be able to absorb the costs of organic certification, yet remain environmental stewards through their traditional practices.
“They understand that they’re just tenants of the land,” Paul said. “I know how they produce their coffees in India. It’s naturally shade-grown. They’ve passed this process along from their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. The way they grow their coffee is very sustainable. ‘Organic’ sometimes negates those small estate holdings, so that’s something I’ve been a very big advocate about.”
Born in Bangalore, Shonali Paul fondly remembers learning about coffee production as a child visiting her grandfather’s coffee estates. Earlier this spring, the coffee company fired up a Diedrich IR-5 roaster on the grounds of the original John family estate while launching an India-facing website for expanding domestic sales.
The Paul John roastery in India.
The roastery operates in facilities located at the Coorg Wilderness Resort, established by Paul P. John as an eco-tourism getaway in the coffee lands.
“We are excited to have launched in India,” Shonali Paul said. “It is a unique, immersive experience and a full circle moment for us, to bring the brand back to India and the estate where my grandfather had started out and my father currently has a resort, as well.”
Roasting and packaging for Paul John’s retail beans in the U.S. is done in partnership with Sarasota-based roaster Latitude 23.5 Coffee & Tea, while a Diedrich IR-12 roaster stands ready and waiting inside Paul John’s own 4,000-square-foot facility in Tampa, pending approvals from the city.
At the U.S. roastery.
Alongside coffees, Paul John Indian Caffeine sells a range of branded brewing gear that includes a South Indian filter brewer and custom ceramics.
“I’m looking forward to bringing in more varieties as we are growing the business,” said Paul. “Indian coffee is so scarce and not well-known as an origin, especially in America, that we want to expand as much as possible, to as many customers as we can, just to get that educational side of it going.”
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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