Do they happen to grow pepper there to give it that name? 
 yes. The Kerala government decided to develop the City of Kollam as a "Port City of Kerala" 
 Unfortunately, I do not have the information to answer that question. However, I can tell you another interesting fact about Kollam. In 825CE the Kollavarsham or Malayalam calendar was created in Kollam at meetings held in the city. 
 I am sorry but I do not have this information at this time, the only thing I can tell you is the calendar was used during the Kollam Era, it was a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala. 
 Thank you for answering my questions.
yes. The Kerala government decided to develop the City of Kollam as a "Port City of Kerala"