Coorg district is a popular destination for travelers, particularly weekenders from Bangalore. Can you really travel without bringing back a bit of the destination with you? So, we curated a list of Top Coorg Souvenirs for Shopping in Madikeri when you visit this lovely hill station famous for its sprawling Coffee Estates.
Coorg Souvenirs Shopping in Madikeri
Madikeri is the headquarters of the Kodagu district, Karnataka. Before 1956, the Kodagu district was administratively a separate state called Coorg. Travelers can find several souvenirs on display for sale at Madikeri, Virajpet, and at tourist destinations of the district like en route Igguthappa Temple, Talakaveri, Bhagamandala Temple, Nisargdham, Dubare Elephant Camp, etc.
Coffee Beans & Powder
Coorg is called the coffee bowl of India. Why not – it is a top producer of Coffee Beans in India. There are several excellent Coffee Shops for you to taste a variety of Coffee as you enjoy nature all around. Once you taste it, you would be tempted to pick the local Coffee to take back with you.
Of course, the coffee specialists can source Arabica & Robusta Coffee beans, and roast/process them as per their choice. Take a look at this video How to Roast Coffee perfectly demonstrating Coffee brewing posted on my YouTube channel.
Compared to Tea as a beverage Coffee is quite strong, therefore do not consume too much coffee if you are not used to it.
Flavored Tea Powder
How can one ignore Tea in India? Yes, here too, you can find a variety of locally-made Flavored Tea powders on sale. Imagine Chocolate tea or Vanilla tea! I am told they are also popular with visitors. Take a look at the options on display, you might well find your favorite flavor to try.
Spices
We found sacks full of Spices at several shops across the district. Spices like Cardamom & Pepper are cultivated in the Coffee estates. If you visit any of the estates you will see Cardamom and Pepper growing at various stages depending upon the season. It is an experience in itself to smell them and the leaves. You should be able to buy better quality spices at reasonable rates here. And there are a huge array of Spices one can source from these shops.
The Dry Fruits on sale here are probably sourced from elsewhere, but then you will get the chance to enjoy the shopping experience.
We did buy a few spices for personal consumption. Back home they remind us of our pleasant trip.
Honey – Coorg Souvenirs
Making honey is a small-scale industry in this region. Being a hill station, surrounded by national parks & wildlife sanctuaries, this place naturally offers many opportunities for Honey collectors. As you know honey of a location carries within it the essence of the local plants and flowers. So, what can be a better souvenir from Coorg to carry back with you?
Homemade Wines
Looking at the number of flavors/sources on display Homemade wines appear to be a favorite souvenir for the ones who consume them. Homemade wines in this region could be heritage and small-scale industry. Consumers of wines get to taste and select their preferred flavors to buy. I was quite intrigued to see Ragi Wine but then what do I know of wines?
Homemade Chocolates – Coorg Souvenirs
Believe me, I have not seen such a huge display of bulk Homemade Chocolates anywhere else in India. Not just the quantity but the number of flavors these Homemade Chocolates offer is mind-boggling too. I am not really a Chocolate fan, still, I bought a few of them for our friends & relatives. Anyone who received it loved it. What better Coorg Souvenirs can you buy for family and friends, especially the young ones?
They offer bites of various Chocolates for you to taste. You have the choice to pick the ones that you like or a combination of various flavors. Try and go for it.
Read More – Coffee Chocolates of Araku Valley
Rare Herbs
I remember my Dadi used to apply some colored hair oils and massage the head. It was supposed to keep me cool and my hair strong. While I don’t recall what exactly was the composition of that hair oil, the souvenir shops here did take me back to the Aroma and memories of that oil. Oils with herbs floating in them are a common sight here. Take your own call.
Herbal Oils
Herbal oils like Lemon Grass oil, Almond oil, etc are other popular souvenirs from Coorg. While the general benefits of such products are well known, it is up to you to take a call.
Handmade Soaps
Homemade & handmade beauty bars or soaps are favorite souvenirs of environment-conscious shoppers. Like everything else, they come in various flavors. What I admired the most about them is the simple packaging in molded areca nut leaves. I wish they could do away with the plastic cover as well – hopefully, one day they would.
Oh yes, there are Goat Milk Beauty bars too. With the added benefits of Herbs like Aloe Vera and so on. The Shoppers have some choice there.
Wood Carved Artifacts – Coorg Souvenirs
The wood-carved artworks, especially the wall hangings can be found everywhere in the souvenir shops, be it private enterprises or the government emporium. I think they are all made at Chennapatna, a town famous for wooden toys and artworks, somewhere between Mysore and Bengaluru. To us, they seemed a bit overpriced. Having said that, it is hard maybe not fair to value artwork. The value of art really lies in the admirer who derives joy from it.
Coconut Shell Artifacts
While there were many Coconut shell artifacts on display, our eyes were entangled in these hanging bird nests made of dry coconut shells and coconut fibers. If they indeed serve the purpose, particularly in urban places, one can do that much to buy and hang these in safe places on their apartment balconies to help the birds like common sparrows.
Wooden Tribal Masks – Coorg Souvenirs
Adorable wooden and bamboo artifacts can be found in several shops in the district. We found these lovely little tribal masks at the Nisargdham tourist outlet.
Vegetable Flavored Papads
These colorful papads look inviting – don’t they? I have not tried these vegetable-flavored papads but if you are among the papad lovers, try this.
Most of the souvenirs listed above are natural products and/or consumables that you can taste/try before buying and are affordable. Shopping for them benefits the locals and the local economy. It is a good way to give back to the tourist destination.
Happy Shopping!
I would definitely buy some coffee & chocolates to take back home if I ever visited Coorg in the future. It was really fun going through the article. Thanks!
Thanks, Anshul. Glad you enjoy reading about Coorg Souvenirs.
Wow! It takes so much effort to gather this much of information. I really appreciate your hard work in finding this very useful content from Coorg.
I have already tasted coffee & chocolates in Coorg. But could not buy more of the items due to shortage of time and unplanned trip. This time, I will buy all the items that you have mentioned. Thanks Anuradha Goyal for making my “planning bucket list” very easy.
Wine and Chocolates are must items to be tried in Coorg.
Such a beautiful blog. its really
worthful. thanks for writing this.
Such a nice article. U have explained everything in detailed way. Thank you for this valuable information.
I need a small info. Can you please tell me In which shop u took that honey bottle pic. I like that honey and want to contact that dealer but couldn’t. It would be very help full if u can recognize that shop and let me know.
Thanks In advance.