Earliest records say that in 1846 Ramasamy Mudaliar started a coffee plantation here. Later in 1864, the Karnatic coffee company started a coffee plantation in this area. In 1890, W.Wintil and Nordan bought this area from the Madras State Government (present Tamil Nadu) under the British Raj. Mr.Wintil deforested the forest areas in Valparai to cultivate tea and coffee.