Farm: Kerehaklu Estate
Producer: Ajoy + Pranoy Thipaiah
Purchasing relationship: 1 years
Region: Aldur, Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka
Altitude: 1145 masl, 13.3°N
Kerehaklu Estate is a run by Pranoy Thipaiah and his father Ajoy. The farm, located in dense jungle, teeming with biodiversity, has been producing Arabica, Robusta and Liberica coffee since the 1950s. Ajoy and Pranoy have put an emphasis on doing so in coexistence with the local biodiversity.
While in many coffee producing areas across the world, clear-cutting of forest for high productivity has become the norm, the coffee plants at Kerehaklu grow within dense, old-growth jungle with tall Coffea Liberica plants scattered throughout and bison and elephants as regular visitors. When it comes to the processing of coffee, however, there is no mistaking the modern approach taken by Pranoy: Since taking over management of the processing five seasons ago, he has put his background in biology to good use by introducing carefully managed and meticulously controlled experiments to help push the boundaries and produce coffees that highlight his father’s work and the farm’s growing conditions – but have an added layer of complexity that traditionally processed Indian coffees simply can’t match. Nearly all the coffee grown at Kerehaklu is processed in anoxic fermentation conditions.
Young and passionate, Pranoy strives to produce top-quality Indian coffee that benefits both the land and the people of India, while satisfying the consumer with impressively tasting coffee. We are very excited to be working with Pranoy, who happily engages in difficult conversations about coffee and does not shy away from challenging topics such as colonialism, the environmental impacts of coffee production or coffee marketing.
Besides coffee, they grow a number of other produce, such as jackfruit, pomelo, ginger, chillies and more. They have also been growing peppercorns of the Panniyur and Karimunda varieties, which are native to the southern part of the subcontinent, for many decades. Their green and black peppercorns are sold on the farm and internationally. In the 80s, more than fifty avocado trees of eight different varieties were planted to serve as second-tier shade trees. From May to November, the popular fruit is harvested at Kerehaklu to supply kitchens in homes and restaurants all across India.
Pranoy’s father, Ajoy, has encyclopedic knowledge when it comes to agronomy and agriculture – always looking to work in harmony with the local biodiversity. His 35 years of experience at Kerehaklu have shaped how the father and son team approaches not just coffee but life in this quiet part of India.
