India, Sept. 5 -- Dappled sunlight filtered through the broad leaves of a jackfruit tree, before trickling through the waxy canopy of an avocado, casting a cool shade over my feet, which were sinking into the brown, mulchy soil as my fingers squeezed two creamy seeds out of a bright shiny cherry and onto my palm.

That was when it hit me: Origins matter: How you were shaped determines where you will thrive.

Here, in the Palani Hills, Coffea arabica was thriving in a cool, humid forested nook much like its ancient home in the Ethiopian highlands. Old and planted forests sheltered it from heat and wind, while the humus-rich soil supplied year-round moisture without drought or waterlogging.

Shaker Nagarajan, the owner of this plantation, t...