India, Guatemala highlight coffee for global consumers at Seoul cafe show

Coffee brands, roasters, experts and authorities from around the world are gathering in Seoul for the 25th Seoul International Cafe Show, a four-day event that kicked off Wednesday.

This year, India and Guatemala took part in one of the event’s flagship programs, Origin Discovery, showcasing their coffee traditions and explaining how their distinctive beans have won loyal followings among coffee lovers worldwide.

Organized by the Coffee Board under the Government of India, a session titled Coffees of India introduced the country’s history of coffee cultivation, which dates back to the 1600s and reached its commercial zenith in the 18th century. Indian coffees, including Arabica, Robusta and Excelsa varieties, have been cultivated across Western Ghats — a biodiversity hotspot recognized by the UNESCO — as well as Eastern Ghats and Northeastern states.

Amulya K.G., director of the Coffee Board and the host of the session, said there are 441,000 coffee farms in India, 99 percent of which are small holdings of less than 10 hectares. India is the world’s fifth largest coffee exporter, with a global share of 5 percent and earnings of about $2.1 billion per year, she said.

“India has four Arabican coffee origins and two Rousta origins. Indian Robusta coffees particularly differentiate themselves because they are grown at relatively high elevations under the two-tier shade, where they grow more slowly, become denser and hence acquire intense and complex flavor compounds,” K.G. said.

“Indian coffees for international trade have 25 commercial grades for Arabica and Robusta, washed and natural. Korea accounts for 1.6 percent of our overall coffee export volume, having imported $43 million in 2025-26.”

Sunalini Menon, president of Coffeelab, an independent coffee research agency in Bengaluru, India, used the session to demonstrate how Indians prepare and enjoy the drink as part of their daily routines. She brewed ground coffee inside a traditional metal filter box and waited about 10 minutes .

“It’s a typical Indian daba ("box") filter invented so long ago nobody knows who. We either drink it black or add brown sugar or milk. We use 8.25 grams of Arabica and 8.75 grams of Robusta every 150 milliliters of water, ratios defined by the Specialty Coffee Association,” Menon said.

She added, “Everyone calls Robusta the poor cousin of Arabica. I stand strongly against and say no, it’s a separate species with some beauty of its own. Robusta forms a very nice base for a cup of coffee inside espresso. I would suggest 80 percent of Arabica and 20 percent of Robusta and you have a beautiful base for espresso.”

El Injerto, a cherry coffee farm in Huehuetenango — a high-altitude region of Guatemala — detailed on how it invests in picking, sorting, cleansing and producing a premium coffee for both domestic and overseas consumption, mostly in places like Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Arturo Aguirre, forth-generation owner and CEO of the family-run farm, said the business began in 1920 and now owns four cafes across Guatemala.

Aguirre said the farm, situated about 2,500 meters above sea level, has ideal terrain and precipitation levels. On 250 hectares of land surrounded by rainforests, the farm’s specialty varieties include Geisha, Pacamara and Bourbon. Coffees produced by the farm have won 12 times at the Cup of Excellence Awards, and their El Injerto Cafes were ranked 25th on The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list.

“We use an analogy comparing coffee bean to tomato to train our cherry bean pickers, because some of them don’t drink coffee and don’t understand how crucial the job is. When I explain which tomatoes should be selected for tomato sauces, they get it and pick quality beans,” he said.

“We also think each coffee bean is a living seed. Through our soaking process, we vitalize enzymes inside these beans. It then sweetens the beans, accentuates their flavors and hardens their density. Our production is also powered by liquefied petroleum gas and solar panels instead of burning woods, to reduce carbon emission.”

Aguirre said the farm faces difficulties like plant diseases, climate change and a shortage of farm workers.

“Younger workers like to work at roasteries or cafes in cool temperatures, not at farms like us. It’s hard to get working hands around here,” Aguirre noted.

The Seoul International Cafe Show this year attracted 3,988 brands from 643 companies in 35 countries. They represented not just coffee but also companies specializing in tea, baked goods, desserts, raw ingredients, equipment, interior design and cafe franchises.

"Celebrating its 25th edition, this year’s Seoul Cafe Show has focused on serving as an 'open stage' where diverse members of the coffee industry can connect and discover new possibilities. We hope this exhibition creates fresh business opportunities for the industry and a chance for visitors to discover the manifold charms of coffee, further expanding the value that coffee creates," an official from Exporum, one of the event hosts, said.