Making coffee work for rural India

Indian coffee has been on our wish list for a very long time because of an incredible mix of properties we saw at some estates: advanced processing knowledge, a history of developing not only specialty arabica but robusta as well - combined with high ethics and business efficiency. You find yourself wondering how this country is not top of mind for more coffee roasters out there.

We admire our partners Komal and Akshay’s resolve to make coffee a viable way of living for themselves and the region. After their time in the UK, Komal and Akshay came back to Akshay’s family farm in India to restore it and seek alliances with a wide range of very diverse growers in the region. "We were not only looking for partners," says Komal "we were looking for passionate coffee growers that understand the complexities involved in this trade." With low prices and people leaving farms to work in cities, their proposition has to be based on higher prices and innovations: both technological as in terms of (regenerative) agriculture). Through hard work and a firm resolve they are proving that through coffee, a better future is possible for the people in their region and for the environment.

mooleh manay
Komal and akshay Sable

acres: 75
trees: 50,000
workers: 7
seasonal workers: 40-74 (70% women)
bags bought: 63

craigmore Kattimattu
Farokh Anklesaria

acres: 52 (42 cultivated)
trees: 28,000
workers: 23
seasonal workers: 12 (75% women)
bags bought: 40

kanbile
Mr. G.G. Rajendra Kumar

acres: 200
trees: 127, 500
workers: 8
seasonal workers: 20
bags bought: 25

SRirANGALLI COMMUNITY
Community of farmers

acres: 1-8 acres per farmer
farmer families: 8
trees: 7000
workers: community and SICC workers
bags bought: 54

VENKIDS VALLEY
Pavan & Shilpa Nanjappa

acres: 170
trees: 127,500
workers: 8
seasonal workers: 20 (60% women)
bags bought: 150

hardoor estate
Mukul Mahaindra

workers: 85
bags bought: 2

KRISHNAGIRI ESTATE
Himakirti and Karunya Gowda

acres: 44
trees: 2,52,000
workers: 30
bags bought: 10

NARMADA ESTATE
SOHAN

acres: 240
trees:  80000
workers: 20
seasonal workers: 60
bags bought: 30

Gatadahally estate
Swaroop Balakrishna Uday

acres: 170
trees: 127,500
bags bought: 13

Upper Udaya and Beetigundi Estates
bino george

acres: 105
trees: 46,200
workers: 32
bags bought: 60

THIS SIDE UP VALUE CHAIN :

CULTIVARS :

Coffea canephora (robusta): congensis and old peredinia; Arabica (S795, Catuai, SLN6, Chandragiri), Robusta (congensis, old peredina & S274) and Excelsa.

ALTITUDE :

985 to 1400 meters above sea level.

NOTABLE :

This year, Komal and Akshay gathered coffee from producers in the area that shared their vision and aimed to join forces in the regenerative, environmental and social projects they develop in the area.

PROCESSING :

 Ripe cherries are picked and brought back from the farms everyday, we then floated the coffees, fermented for 2 days and then put them on raised beds in polytunnels to dry. 

Key Achievements :

2020 : Met Komal and Akshay via Instagram, at the very start of the pandemic after Lennart’s return from Chikmagalur. First import late in the season to account for our need for more specialty robusta.

2021 :.import of Venkids Valley and some small lots from Mooleh Manay. SICC are redefining what the European market can do with high quality robusta, and talks start about importing high quality arabica and excelsa.

2022 : Massively updated and expanded portfolio, including single farmer and community lots. People are astounded by the arabica’s produced by SICC’s partners, Craigmore is used in the Dutch Brewer’s Cup.

2023: Five new producers join our project through SICC. This means widening our vision and shared purpose with like-minded individuals who are already doing so much to fight global warming, increase farmers' livelihoods, and offer great coffee to the world. South India Coffee Company is becoming a pioneer in sustainable technology, standing at the forefront of soil analysis, installing a huge solar irrigation system, a bee project, and an ambitious economic viability program with profitability per acre compared to profitability per crop.

The Price you pay : €7,58

AVAILABLE FROM SICC :

• Mooleh Manay estate lot – natural robusta

• Mooleh Manay estate lot – natural arabica

• Mooleh Manay estate lot – natural yeast fermented robusta

• Venkids Valley estate Lot – washed robusta

• Mooleh Manay estate lot – honey sundried robusta

• Venkids Valley estate Lot – natural robusta

• Srirangalli community lot – natural arabica

• Srirangalli community lot – washed arabica

• Kanbile estate lot – washed robusta

• Krishnagiri estate lot – natural arabica

• Craigmore Kattimuttu estate lot – natural robusta

• Craigmore Kattimuttu estate lot – honey sundried robusta

• Hardoor estate lot – honey sundried arabica

• Ghattadahally estate lot - washed arabica

• Narmada estate lot – washed arabica

RECOMMENDED IKAWA PROFILEs:

In 2022 we made a new profile for washed coffees named TSU Washed 2022, which has a drop temperature of 145 degrees Celsius and an end temperature of 208. Both the washed arabicas and black honey excelsa by SICC and their partners work beautifully with this profile. For all the robusta’s, whether they are washed, semi-washed or natural, we recommend our standard TSU Robusta profile which has a very low ROR up to the middle of the roast to keep the more brittle robusta from overdeveloping too soon.

CONTACT SICC :

Komal and Akshay are very keen to meet roasters and all lovers of her coffee and regularly features them on her beautiful instagram channel. Get in touch with her for any inquiries about any of the estates and communities they work with.
 

CONTACT Komal and Akshay Dashrat
EMAIL komal@sicc.coffee
TEL +91 99701 98003

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM 

Nakur Shirangala, Coorg, Karnataka, India

where regenerative practices equals coffee

“In India, our coffee plantations look more like a jungle.”
Komal

Komal and Akshay, wife and husband, took on the challenge of running Mooleh Manay more than 6 years ago when neither knew much about coffee. They did so with the mission to become an example of an agroforestry coffee system and also to serve as an example of what Indian coffee has to contribute to the world.

Akshay comes from a family of coffee growers, but he only became involved in the trade a few years back when he took on the estate inherited by his grandfather: Mooleh Mannay. Today, he manages his IT job and the estate next to Komal. At their estate they also produce peppercorn, orange and jackfruit, coffee grows in between two tiers of shade trees, and amongst 40 varieties of jungle trees. Diverse types of birds nest in the trees.

Our relationship with Komal and Akshay keeps getting stronger and stronger. New projects are on the near future, bonds are becoming solid. We met Komal first, through Instagram, in 2020. We had been following her incredibly educational posting and sharing for some time, and after Lennart's trip to India it became clear we were supposed to do amazing things together. Amazingly, their aim is not just to incentivise the growers they work with higher prices for better cupping coffees, but even incentivise experimentation with harvesting and processing techniques - to them one of the most important ways to become economically sustainable and create distinguishable, unique coffees.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:

2021: although we had imported coffee through SICC and tasted a lot of amazing coffees by Mooleh Manay in 2020, this year marks our first import of Komal and Akshay’s own coffees.

2022: Mooleh Manay’s robustas are steadily increasing in popularity and various roasters added it to their standard assortment in Europe. Excelsa imported for the first time.

2023: The South India Coffee Company keeps impressing us with its steps toward becoming an exemplary model of agroecology. This year, they installed for the first time a solar Irrigation System, which they aim to connect the house, drying yard, and staff quarters. They've also developed soil testing methods, installed a bee project, and impressive regenerative agriculture testing, data collection and documentation, and analysis.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :

CONTACT MOOLEh MANAY :

Komal and Akshay are very keen to meet roasters and all lovers of her coffee and regularly features them on her beautiful instagram channel. Get in touch with her for any inquiries about Mooley Manay and South India Coffee Company.
 

CONTACT Komal and Akshay Dashrath
EMAIL komal@sicc.coffee
TEL +91 99701 98003

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

Nakur Shirangala, Coorg, Karnataka, India

redefining the potential of robusta

“Robusta has a lot to offer to the world.”
Pavan

Pavan learned most of what he knows about coffee from his father, from whom he inherited the estate in 2013, but it wasn't until 2017 that he asked himself: “How can I achieve a better coffee with what I have?” He began researching and contacting experts but mostly experimenting in his own estate. His wife, Shilpa Nanjappa, works next to him, and together, they've managed to steadily increase the quality of their coffees.

For Pavan and Shilpa, value-adding is meant to preserve Robusta; to change the misleading conception that Robusta is second class, and prove that with closely followed processes, Robusta is almost unidentifiable as such. They managed splendidly: at various official cuppings at SCA events, not one jury member could not determine that they were tasting a robusta. They confused the Nanjappa's coffee with a monsooned arabica.

When Lennart traveled to India, right before the Covid pandemic started in early 2020, he was marveled by the view at their estate. It was a lush, subtropical forest full of coffee, reminiscent of Ethiopia but with trees lined with pepper vines, jackfruit trees, sapodilla and sugar apples. Life buzzing, reproducing. He knew that from that point on, and despite many logistical challenges, a long cherished dream of working with Indian coffee producers would manifest.

CULTIVARs:

Coffea canephora (robusta): congensis and old peredinia

ALTITUDE:

950 - 1,150 meters above sea level.

NOTABLE:

The Venkids Valley farm is home to over 40 varieties  of jungle trees, where the coffee is shade grown. Spices such as pepper and cardamom, and fruits including oranges and avocados are also grown. Between 50 - 60 varieties of resident and migratory birds and the scattering of wild bees balances the eco - system. The region boasts of fertile soil, diverse vegetation and balanced climate.  

PROCESSING:

Workers have been trained to pick only the ripe fruit in several rounds, up to five per harvest. The coffee is pulped the same day and fermentation is done without the use of water, afterwards the coffee is either washed to remove the mucilage and dried on patios lined with UV resistent plastic (washed coffees) or placed directly on drying tables and turned several times daily to reach the right humidity before hulling (natural).

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:

2020: first import of the Venkids Valley Estate and the South India Coffee Company.

2021: imported both washed and natural process coffees from Venkids.

2022: included Venkids in a government tender, further increasing the demand for Indian robusta in the Netherlands.

2023: provisions for rainwater harvesting and harnessing of solar energy are installed in the labor units and staff housing.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES

CONTACT VENKIDS :

Pavan and Shilpa Nanjappa are the owners of Venkids Valley Estate. Whereas Shilpa takes care of marketing and social media, Pavan is the technical expert and oversees the agronomic and managerial side of the coffee and harvest. They have their own website and brand called Papakuchi.
 

CONTACT Shilpa and Pavan Nanjappa
EMAIL papakuchicoffee@gmail.com
TEL +91 984 5074906

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

Kandankolli Village, Coorg, Karnataka, India

the best neighbor to have

“In India, coffee is very important for us. It’s part of our history.”
Komal

Mooleh Manay and Kanbile were part of the same estate once, but not so long ago, the estate was divided in two. In fact, Mr. G.G. Rajendra Kumar, Akshays’ uncle, has also served as a model and example to the young coffee growers couple. He is their neighbor. As the owner and manager of the estate, Mr. G.G. Rajendra, amongst many other things, puts extra attention to maintaining the old trees, preserving the wildlife and offering resources to the community. As a result from these efforts a junior and senior school for the local community and the workers was recently established in the estate.

CULTIVARS :

Coffea canephora (robusta): congensis and old peredinia

ALTITUDE :

1000 meters above sea level.

NOTABLE :

Kanbile has set up a junior and senior school for the local community and the workers. A number of projects have been set up for the local community as Kanbile is not just an estate, but it is the name of the region because of the estate.

PROCESSING :

Coffee cherries are picked and brought back from the drying yard, the last round of garbling is done to remove further unripe coffees. The cherries are then floated, a passed through the pulper and then washed. The parchment is then  sent to the drying yards where it is raked regularly and dried until it reaches 11 - 12% moisture level. 

CULTIVARS :

Coffea canephora (robusta): congensis and old peredinia, arabica

ALTITUDE :

985 - 1043 meters above sea level, mostly eastern facing. 

NOTABLE :

At Craigmore they intercrop and Arabica and Robusta with Pepper, Avocados and Arecanut. Future plans include adding a mix of Moringa, Pomelo and Grapefruit. They've also planted more than 700 native tree species indigenous to the area, and started keeping a herd of local cattle indigenous to the area ( Malnad Gidda) with a view to making their own in-house Vermicompost as well as enhancing Organic compost and Biofertilizers added to the mix with a view to enhance flora and fauna biodiversity.  

PROCESSING :

Craigmore Kattimuttu Washed Arabica: ripe cherries were picked, floated, once floated the coffee skin is removed and the mucilage is washed .The coffee is then dried on raised beds in polytunnelsCraigmore Kattimuttu Natural Robusta: the coffee cherries are meticulously picked and then re-garbled when they reach the patios,  removing any defects or greens. The coffee is fermented anaerobically and then put on raised beds to dry. Craigmore Kattimuttu Honey Sundried Robusta : the coffee cherries are picked, removing all defects, greens , half yellow cherries. Then the cherries are passed through a waterless eco baby pulper and the outer skin is removed, keeping the mucilage intact. Once the coffee is pulped it goes on to raised beds for drying

the quest for the unexpected

"I wonder what the coffee from Srirangalli tastes like," said Komal to her husband Akshay one day. She had always felt attracted to this region, particularly to its exuberant vegetation and its incredibly rich fauna. She wondered for some time and it wasn't until last year, when she heard that Sunny, a long-time worker at her estate in Mooleh Manay, was originally from Srirangalli, that her curiosity was satisfied.

They were particularly keen on working in this region because, besides its vegetation, it was a place where significant impact was possible. Most farmers in Srirangalli use walking as their transportation method and the only way their children can receive proper education is by leaving the community. Besides other issues, monsoons have deeply affected the area, slicing, not so long ago, a piece of the mountain. People at Srirangalli, however, are strong, very united and support each other constantly. Harvesting for each individual is done by all the members, in a farming system we've ventured to call "community farming". They are also agents for change.

The idea was to work with coffee in close collaboration with community members. From there on, other projects would develop. However, the only way to have this conversation had to be through a community member. They needed Sunny, and Sunny trusted them and their judgment. Komal and Akshay then started explaining about quality, processes and better pay. They spoke about exporting coffee and finding alternative sources of income for community members. They outlined the project: Komal and Akshay would contribute the workers from their estate in Mooleh Many and transportation from Srirangalli to the Dry Mill. They would be in charge of marketing the coffee. Community members would contribute the harvest and their work.  

The community agreed to join the project because they trusted Sunny, and Sunny trusted Komal. The community is still not completely convinced about the benefits specialty coffee can offer, but the couple knows that, with time, they won't need convincing anymore: the benefits of quality will become palpable to all. 

CULTIVARS :

Arabica (catuai and SLN 6, SLN 9 Chandagiri) Robusta (Congensis and old peredinia)

ALTITUDE :

1200 - 1400 meters above sea level.

 NOTABLE :

South India Coffee Company has the mission to work with this community in the long run. The area, as in the vast majority of land in south India, had until the 70s subsided from cardamom; Srirangalli was no exception. Exotic, beautiful plants grow intermingled with what we already know grows in this part of the world: jackfruit, cardamom, and pepper. This year, Komal and Akshay took some soil samples for testing. This information will help them provide suitable fertilizers to each small farm. All farmers were paid above market price, and, in the long run, SICC would like to set up a drying and milling facility closer to the farm.

PROCESSING :

Chandragiri, Catuai, ripe cherries were picked and brought back to the facilities at Mooley Manaey everyday. Cherries were floated, fermented in an anaerobic environment and then placed on raised beds in polytunnels to dry. For the Srirangalli Community Natural Robusta: ripe cherries were picked and brought back to Mooley Manay facilities everyday, cherries were then floated and fermented for two days and then placed on raised beds in polytunnels to dry. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS :

2022: first successful campaign of Srirangalli Estate in partnership with South India Coffee Company.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :

The power of slowing down

“Coffee forces me to slow down my thinking so I notice more of my own surroundings and I see the growth there too. It amazes me to see this while I’m processing my coffee. So coffee production turns out to be a great way to do a lot for my environment. It gives me so much happiness to see that what I’m doing offers so much room for personal growth and satisfaction.”
Mukul 

A financer and mathematician by profession, Mukul came into the coffee world  right after he had graduated from college, at 21, and immediately started working with the land. He had observed his father, from a distance, trying to manage the estate from Bangalore, where the family lived. “To manage a coffee estate from a distance is not productive at all” shares Mukul, “in coffee one must be present”. His willingness to experiment along with Komal and Akshay’s guided assistance, has led him to find new techniques and upgrade his overall processing. 

CULTIVARS :

Arabica, Chandragiri, selection 95, Robusta ( old Peredina).

ALTITUDE :

around 1000 metres above sea level.

NOTABLE :

At Hardoor intercropping is a must. A rich biodiversity of around 100 different varieties of fruit trees and spices are found there. Besides coffee, Mukul also grows avocado, oranges, and lichis--which he sells to the local market--and pepper which he sells in larger quantities. Water is channelled into man-made ponds for irrigation.

PROCESSING :

Honey sun-dried: Coffee is harvested every day, soaked and then fed into a pulping machine. Beans are then placed in plastic bags, together with a raisin culture.

Coffee is then fermented aerobically for about 24 hours. Soon after, it is placed in the patios and left to dry for about 10-12 days until it reaches an 11% moisture level.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS :

2022: collaboration between Hardoor and SICC starts.
2023: first International export through us.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :

The Native Cause

“Our job is to look after the land.”
Sohan

One day, in 2019, the owner of Narmada decided to eliminate chemical fertilising entirely. More than this, he stopped applying chemicals to the coffee plants at his estate. He said, “we are going completely natural” and he wasn’t exaggerating. Together with Sohan, his long-time partner and now manager of the estate, they undertook one of the bravest steps towards natural healing processes we’ve encountered. Their approach is quite radical and, for us, only seen in isolated cases: they allowed wildlife to protect coffee crops by letting nature come forth and grow--pests and bush alike. They expected to see the production decrease significantly at first and some workers left, bewildered by the radical approach, as stem borers and other small pests began feeding on the coffee plants. However, Sohan had patience and did nothing but wait and soon the stem borers settled and decreased. “It can be that by letting scrub to grow wildly the plant is protected. It can also happen that by not killing all the trees, the borers settle and stop seeking new trees to inhabit”. Today, besides successfully converting to organic, setting up soaking ponds and convincing the workers to accept crop damage by wildlife, Narmada is becoming an example of the most natural coffee estates we’ve seen. “This is going to become a wild jungle, with coffee.” 

CULTIVARS :

Arabica 795, 9, Cauveri, Chandragiri Robusta: Old Robusta and C x R.

ALTITUDE :

800-1,200 metres above sea level

NOTABLE :

Narmada is slowly becoming the most vivid example of wild grown coffee that we have found. In this land, wildlife protects and controls pests; more than 50 species of trees can be found, along with wild fruit and a rich variety of insects and animals. With deep respect, the Narmada team, managed by Sohan, has steadily increased the volume of vermicompost, so they have gone chemical free. This coffee is certified organic.

PROCESSING :

24 hours fermented washed arabica: ripe coffee is picked, soaked, and passed through a pulping and washing unit. Coffee is fermented for 24 hours and washed and then dried in the drying yard for about 7 to 10 days.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS :

2022: first successful campaign of Srirangalli Estate in partnership with South India Coffee Company.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :

The Proudest Robusta Grower. 

“We feel proud to export traceable coffee, this gives us a sense of ownership and satisfaction.”
Binoo George 

Komal and Akshay constantly seek ways in which to inspire their neighbours, relatives and friends to turn coffee cultivation into a specialty. “In India, coffee is so good,” says Komal, “that only with slight changes can we achieve significant improvements in quality.” This is how, one day, she started working with Binoo, who has long taken care of Komal and Akshay's taxes. He is also the owner of two coffee estates: Upper Udaya and Beetigundi. For three years, they closely worked in upgrading Bino's processing, mostly experimenting with  harvesting and post-harvesting methods. “It is great to know how these changes make such significant improvements. Before this we didn’t know whether our coffee was good or bad. Now there’s a sense of ownership and satisfaction,” says Binoo.

CULTIVARS :

Robusta Pareedinia and CxR 274.

ALTITUDE :

1000 to 1100 meters above sea level.

NOTABLE :

Binoo is a proud Robusta grower and aims to change the misleading conception that Robusta is a mediocre cultivar. “We are Robusta growers” he says, “and we have great Robusta.” Coffee at his estate grows together with Silver Oak, Mahogany, Nandi, red Cedar, and more than 100 tree species. Lone, bison, porcupines, wild boars, parrots, woodpeckers, deer, bats and many other species inhabit his land.

PROCESSING :

Natural: coffee is  handpicked daily,  soaked and separated.  It is then put in the drying yards and, as it is stirred regularly, coffee beans reach the ideal moisture level.

*This is a classic cherry robusta profile, mainly used for blending, espresso blends, and any other house blends you may have.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS :

2023: first international export through us.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :

What Baba Bundan Left Behind

“For me coffee is everything. Coffee has been in my life since childhood. Getting into specialty coffee means building new kinds of relationships.”
Himu

Like most producers Komal and Akshay work with, for Himu, coffee has a long history in their family. It’s no surprise, since coffee is so significant for so many people in India because it has supported the livelihood of so many since colonial times. It is fascinating to witness how this new generation of coffee growers apply modern processing techniques, while preserving the deep respect their fathers and grandfathers had for nature, as well as the best of their techniques. 

Located on the border to one of the oldest forests in the world, the Western Ghats Forests  (where legend says Baba Budan arrived with his seven coffee beans) at Krishnagiri, coffee has been present for at least 150 years. Himu took on the corporate world for a while and soon decided to work on the estate a few years ago. He remembers his childhood amongst coffee; “there was no television, only wildlife and nature” he shares. “My father and grandfather didn’t know about specialty coffee per se, but they did know that when coffee was harvested at the very last of the season, it tasted the best. This one we usually kept at home back then.”  For the past years, he’s been working closely with Komal and Akshay,  upgrading their processing.

CULTIVARS :

Chandragiri, Kents, S795, Geisha (still in its infancy)

ALTITUDE :

1,500 metres above sea level.

 NOTABLE :

At Krishnagiri estate, coffee grows amongst jackfruit, mango, Chikoo, guava, mulberry, wild fig, black plum, gooseberry, coconut; jungle trees such as cinnamon, Ceylon rose wood, teak, sandalwood and with wildlife such as bengal tiger, Indian gaur, leopard, spotted deer, mouse deer, sambar deer, barking deer, ocelot, monitor lizards, giant Malabar squirrels, flying squirrels, vipers, cobra, rat snakes, wild boars. Birds like parrots, peacock, hornbill, bulbul, sparrow, kingfisher, rock pigeon, green pigeon, mini vet, myna, fly catcher, swallow, Indian paradise fly catcher, woodpecker, munis, crow, egret. And a wide diversity of insects such as  more than 100 species of beetles, more than 50 species of  moths, more than 50 species of butterflies, spiders, stick insects, damselfly, crickets, grasshoppers, katydids, false leaf katydids, bees, carpenter bee, millipede and centipedes to name a few. 

*The plantation has successfully implemented the rules and regulations of the Rainforest alliance.

PROCESSING :

Natural: coffee cherries are handpicked, placed in colour sorter and soaked, where half yellows and green beans are further separated. Soon after, ripe cherries are sent to the drying patios and dried in natural sunlight for 15 to 20 days.

Himu and his wife have identified processing methods that bring out certain characteristics in the coffee. They’ve been able to standardise the methods in order to achieve the same cup profile year after year. Recently, the installation of a colour sorter helped them increase output and also maintain consistency in selection of the fruit. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS :

2023: first international export through us.

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :

the guardian of the land

“I embrace my role as a coffee grower.”
Swaroop

When Swaroop’s father passed away, she found herself in charge of the estate she’d seen her father manage all her life. Eager, curious and determined to continue her father's legacy, she took on the challenge wisely and gradually started on the path to become fully organic and natural, while preserving the work her father had done his whole life. “The challenges we face today are so different from the challenges our parents and grandparents faced,” she comments. Today, the weather is changing so drastically and the cost of fertilisers is increasing dramatically. “But I’m convinced,” shares Swaroop, “that in order to adapt to current times one must diversify and respect the environment”.  Ghattadahally Estate is found along the region of the Western Ghats, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The estate is now also being evaluated for the Carbon Neutral Certificate and their work towards gender equality.

CULTIVARS :

Arabica and Robusta.

ALTITUDE :

900 metres above sea level.

NOTABLE :

Besides coffee, at Gatadahally they also grow pepper, arecanut & cardamom in small quantities. Our fruit trees include coconuts, bananas,  papaya, jackfruit, avocado, guavas, chikoo, pineapple & lemons, in small quantities, naturally grown. At  Gatadahally, Swaroop is aiming to go fully chemical free block by block. They use no pesticides or weedicides and make their own organic compost from the leaves and cow dung. Ancient trees serve as shade. The estate is home for a wonderful range of flora and fauna. Water is sourced from a natural stream and a tank. They use an eco-pulper for wet processing. 

PROCESSING :

Washed Arabica: coffee is  handpicked daily,  soaked and separated.  It is then put in the drying yards and, as it is stirred regularly, coffee beans reach the ideal moisture level.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS :

2023: first international export through us

TASTIFY™ CUPPING NOTES :