Where Our Black Pepper Grows: Chikkamagalur and Koraput
A short tour of the two growing regions behind our peppercorns, and what the soil and altitude do to the flavor.
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is native to the Western Ghats, and the vines still do best on the same hill slopes they came from — shaded, humid, and high enough to slow the berries down as they ripen. Our two sourcing regions sit on opposite coasts of peninsular India, and it shows in the pepper.
Chikkamagalur, Karnataka
Karnataka’s coffee country doubles as pepper country — vines climb the same shade trees planted for the coffee crop. The result is bold, high-oil peppercorns grown in estate conditions with consistent shade and moisture control, the source of our Chikkamagalur Organic Black Pepper.
Koraput, Odisha
Koraput’s forested hill tracts in eastern India grow pepper on a smaller, more traditional scale — often on araceae and forest trees rather than dedicated trellising. Berries are largely hand-picked and sun-dried, which gives the two lots we source from here, Dream Hill and Brown Valley, their distinct heat and aroma.
Each region’s pepper behaves a little differently in a grinder or a masala blend. Browse our retail and wholesale pages to see what’s currently in stock from each.