Its distinct taste can be traced to the geographical speciality of its plantation in Coorg
Image Credit: Supplied / gulfnews.com
You experience the flavour of Levista, right from the beans to the coffee you drink. The beaming spirit of SLN Group is like a perfect cup of coffee — fulfilling, hearty, crisp, wholesome and so gratifying since 1956.
Levista’s distinct taste can be traced to the geographical speciality of its plantation, which is rooted in Coorg, the coffee capital of India. It is born from the rich expertise of a company that supplies coffee to leading Indian and global coffee companies, and is among the top ten coffee exporters of India. Millions of coffee drinkers wake up to Levista every morning. It is the coffee for coffee lovers, and across the world, people have placed their trust in the timeless flavour of its legacy.
Wafting across the world
Levista has definitive plans in place to spread its aroma across 10 countries, and has undertaken brand building associations with leading entities.
It also has Café Levista, located strategically across cities for discerning coffee lovers, to enjoy a wholesome experience with friends and loved ones. By 2025, 500 such outlets will be operational in India and overseas to deliver its rich taste and heritage. Levista pours the best quality brew made from handpicked beans, with offerings across instant, filter, and artisanal range of coffees.
An association befitting Kings
Recently, Levista has proudly associated with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as their official licensed coffee partner.
It’s a distinctive milestone for two big brands to come together during the Indian Premier League, as the action shifts to the UAE this season.
To make it truly memorable, there will be CSK combo packs which will be retailed as a limited edition, along with the team’s memorabilia.
It will indeed be an unbeatable mix for coffee and cricket fans, when the world is watching. The quality and flavour of Levista resonates with the vivacity and passion of CSK.
source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> Lifestyle> GN Focus Report / September 13th, 2020
Maverick & Farmer, founded by three passionate coffee entrepreneurs, caters to coffee lovers who want new flavours in their brew. Co-founder Ashish D’abreo speaks to YSWeekender about the evolution of artisanal coffee and the company’s unique blends
Whether you love your coffee cold, blitzed to perfection with ice cubes, or brewed hot and delicious in your percolator, it is the drink that gives you that happy buzz and takes you through the day. But with time, people wanted more from their coffee. Some wanted it freshly roasted, a few liked it strong and black, while others wanted nutty, sweet, and tropical flavours in their brews.
Coffee can be served in a variety of flavours and textures (Pic credit: Shutterstock)
Over the years, coffees have been created and developed to suit every palate, right from house blends to different degrees of roasting to a gamut of innovations and textures .
Maverick & Farmer Coffee Roasters started operations in 2018, founded by three passionate coffee entrepreneurs — Sreeram G, Tej Thammaiah, and Ashish D’abreo.
Coffee entrepreneurs (left to right) Sreeram G, Ashish D’abreo and Tej Thammaiah who founded Maverick & Farmer
Tej Thammaiah is a third-generation coffee farmer who looks after the Ajjikutira family estates in Pollibetta, Coorg. Ashish D’abreo is the head roaster and barista, while Sreeram G leads sales. The co-founders are on a constant endeavour to create innovative variants of coffee that imbibe different plantations and natural fermentation methods.
In an interaction with YSWeekender, Ashish D’abreo, Co-founder, Maverick & Farmer, tells us about the company’s latest flavours and the USP of the brand.
YSWeekender (YSW): Can you tell us about your latest coffees and what makes them special?
Ol’ Smoky coffee was launched recently
Ashish D’abreo (AD): In keeping with the pursuit of creating unconventional coffee, we have six coffee blends that are set to launch in a staggered manner over the next 12 weeks. These are a result of a lot of experimentation on the farm and in our roastery.
The first two that were launched last week are called ‘Ol’ Smoky’ and ‘Orange you curious?.’ Those who love a mellow, sweet-smoky lining to their favourite drink, our Ol’ Smoky creation is for them as it is prepared from freshly pulped top-grade Arabica green beans that are cold-smoked for 13-14 hours in a smokehouse.
Orange You Curious? is created by fermenting freshly pulped coffee beans with orange juice. Both the coffees are available on our website: www.maverickandfarmer.com
YSW: How was the idea of Maverick and Farmer conceived, and what is unique about your brand?
Maverick & Farmer coffee roasters are here to take Indian coffee past the third wave of coffee (which predominantly deals with origin, terroir, roasting, etc.) and introduce a whole new world of coffees that unlock so much more than what the species, terroir, or roasting can offer.
A coffee estate
There are two sides to our coffee brand — the farmer, with its in-depth understanding of coffee growing heritage, rules, experience, and rich knowledge — and the Maverick, the rule-breaker, boundary pusher, and experimenter. This is what makes us unique, and reflects in our coffee offerings.
Our coffee primarily comes from our farms in Coorg, but we also work with other farmers from different growing regions when we require coffees that bring a different uniqueness to our offering.
YSW: What is artisanal coffee?
AD: The term ‘artisanal coffee’ implies that the producer is growing, processing, roasting, etc., coffee from a traceable source, in a manner that highlights the unique flavours and tasting notes.
YSW: How do you come up with new flavours, and how are they tested out?
The flavour of the coffee depends on the quality of the coffee beans
AD: Most of the work happens during non-harvesting months — from March to October — and most work happens on paper. We’re constantly brainstorming on ideas, lines of thought, and wish lists. During the harvest season, we can actually put all of this into practice. We spend a lot of time together on the farm, executing our ideas, drying, roasting, tasting, and journaling.
YSW: Which countries offer the best kinds of coffee?
AD: I would say India because we have some very unique characteristics of our coffee. Apart from India, I would say, (and this is a personal opinion) — Kenya for the flavours, the importance given to R&D, and meticulous quality control; Guatemala for its bright, sweet notes; and Ethiopia for being the birthplace of coffee, as well as its floral and fruity coffees.
YSW: Can you give us some tips on how to make a good cup of coffee?
Freshly roasted coffee makes the best brew
AD: Brew coffee that’s freshly roasted. Stale coffee or dead coffee is unidimensional and gets the whole brewing process off on the wrong foot. Choose a grind size that’s perfect for your brewing equipment. Follow instructions only for the first time, and after that, adapt recipes and brewing techniques to what you think works best for you.
YSW: What are your plans for Maverick & Farmer in the days ahead?
AD: We don’t have much time until the next harvest. There’s still a lot of work left to be done, directions, and processes to be finalised. We have quite a few new products and café launches in the pipeline in the future.
(Images credit: Pavan Srinivas)
source: http://www.yourstory.com / Your Story / Home> Your Story> YS Weekender> Food and Beverages / by Asha Chowdary / September 11th, 2020
Theetharamada Ravi Nanjappa (73), a coffee planter and a resident of Nallur village near Ponnampet in South Kodagu, passed away early this morning at a private hospital in Mysuru.
He leaves behind his wife Indira, a daughter, a son, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and a host of relatives and friends.
Cremation took place at Mukthidhama in Vijayanagar 4th Stage here today, according to family sources.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituray / August 21st, 2020
Have you explored Black Baza Coffee’s lineup, yet?
Very few coffee lovers actually research how ethical their go-to fair trade coffee brand really is, but Black Baza Coffee ‘s biodiversity-friendly, fair-trade coffee production is going the whole mile when it comes to ethically responsible community-building. The Bengaluru-based label is committed to the idea of ‘creating a local, participatory and meaningful movement for coffee.’ During her PhD in coffee and sustainability, Arshiya Bose, the founder of the label explored some functional biodiversity-friendly coffee farming practises which helped her get a better perspective on responsible production.
The rich and balanced Wanderoo
“Through my research I met several smallholder coffee producers, and the brand is committed to the idea of helping them grow. Black Baza Coffee is not just about eco-friendly practises but we focus on biodiversity conservation. We take a look at how various wildlife and plants make use of the coffee farms and how they can be conserved on these farms, which also includes changing the way we farm. So we go beyond organic, from looking and understanding habitats to sticking to our all-natural agenda,” Arshiya tells us. Not to mention Black Baza’s line-up is amazingly diverse, featuring coffees with layered flavour profiles, be it fermented Robusta with spicy flavour notes or washed Arabica with a balanced acidity.
“Our Ficus coffee is named after this tree, our focus for conservation efforts in our farms,” the label writes on its Instagram page
In fact, you can even follow Black Baza’s Instagram page for their excellent fieldwork stories. We caught up with Arshiya to explore her vision further.
Black Baza Coffee has a focus on nurturing smallholders producers…
Yes, we do not work with coffee estates so we typically look at those coffee growing communities which are marginalised and vulnerable, particularly at a time like this and we work closely with them. We work with those who need our input and support the most and we are actually one of the few certified fair trade coffee brands in the country. We work with around 650 producers, we help set up coffee collectives and cooperatives. We source our coffee from The Biligirirangana Hills in Karnataka, Nilgiris, Coorg etc.
Tell us about your clientele. Do most of them share the label’s philosophy?
Yes, we have a really loyal base of customers who actively want to support communities which have suffered from the shutdown and the pandemic in general. We already had a steady base, but it has definitely grown since the pandemic started.
How has the label’s objective evolved in the four years since you started?
We are not a typical coffee brand, we function like a social enterprise, and we have definitely grown. We started out with four producers and we now work with 650, we have been able to reach so many communities who needed our support. We have also been able to source so many distinct varieties of coffees with varied flavour profiles, that’s been really interesting.
Tell us about how you’ve named each variant, like the ‘Otter,’ or the ‘Ficus’?
These coffees have been named depending on where they are grown, and represent the idea of conserving particular species of fauna which inhabit the region. The Luna coffee, for instance, is named after this interesting species of moth found in Indo-western ghats, we actively make observations of the luna moth on coffee farms, which tells us about their habitat or the vegetation around them. The names are also symbols of what we’re trying to achieve, it speaks to people about the kind of biodiversity which exists in our forests and why conserving them is so crucial.
source: http://www.indulgexpress.com / The New Indian Express – Indulge Express / by U. Roy / August 14th, 2020
If rains do not play spoilsport, India’s coffee production this year will be in the range of 3,20,000 tonnes to 340,000 tonnes, according to planters.
This is far better than the last two flood-hit years, when production was way below 3,00,000 tonnes.
As of now, coffee plantations have received only 30% of the rain, including the blossom showers in March and the showers in the following months. Rainfall during August and September will be the deciding factor as excessive rains can lead to floods, landslides, wet-footing (coffee plants standing in water and decaying) and berry-shedding.
“This year’s crop is expected to be much better than last two years,” said Bose Mandanna, a major planter in Kodagu and a former Coffee Board member.
“We have received some rain at the time of spike formation and flowering. Another 50-60% of well-distributed rains are needed for best berry development, spring cultivation and recharging of water tables. If all goes well we will have a bigger crop this year.’’
Ramesh Rajah, President, Coffee Exporters Association said, “The next two to three months will decide the future. We can’t afford to face another year of huge losses.’’
Due to excessive rains, flooding and water logging, the country’s coffee production was below the annual average of 300,000 tonnes in 2018 and 2019. In the current crop year, the planters expect a 40% increase in coffee production, with Robusta at 2,40,000 tonnes and Arabica at around 100,000 tonnes. The Coffee Board’s crop estimate will come out in September/post-monsoon.
Meanwhile, the labour shortage has become even more acute as a large population of workers returned home in the wake of the pandemic.
“We need to have more workers returning by harvest time in December. Labour situation has always been bad and Covid-19 has made it worse. Due to shortage of labour a lot of our operations are on hold,’’ said KPA chairman Shirish Vijayendra.
Harvesting of Arabica will commence in December, while Robusta harvest will be spread across January and February.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business / by Mini Tejaswi / August 01st, 2020
A.S. Naveen Kushalappa, an IRS (Indian Revenue Services) Grade Officer, who is presently working as the Joint Development Commissioner (JDC) for Cochin Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Bengaluru, under the Department of Commerce, is given an additional charge of the post of Secretary, Coffee Board, Bengaluru.
As per the orders issued by the Government, he will be holding additional charge of Secretary, Coffee Board, for a period of six months with effect from 1.7.2020 to 31.12.2020 or till joining of a regular incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.
Naveen Kushalappa got through IRS in 2007 and joined the Ministry of Commerce & Industries, Government of India. He has been serving as JDC since 2018.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 05th, 2020
Though the body announced a long term goal of ‘Vision 2030’, officials will focus on development of the sport and players during their tenure of four years. Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna (Photo | PTI)
Bengaluru :
The executive committee of Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) formed in mid-February, finally met for the first time on Thursday with Tennis star Rohan Bopanna assuming his role as vice-president and head of development committee.
“Rohan brings in a lot of expertise and value, which is good for KSLTA. He also wants to catch the players young and work on them. The development committee will look into how players can emerge from the state. They will see what needs to be done. It could be camps, competition etc. The committee will create a blueprint,” said Sunil Yajaman, KSLTA joint-secretary.
Though the body announced a long term goal of ‘Vision 2030’, officials will focus on development of the sport and players during their tenure of four years and will reach out at the school level to try and encourage more children to play the sport and provide them enough space to do so.
The KSLTA also wants to have set up state and regional camps and are open to rendering financial support to promising players. In terms of infrastructure, they want to create a tennis complex in Bengaluru as well.
“We are going to talk to the education and sports departments and try to ensure that there are tennis courts in rural places, allowing tennis to grow in these areas. We want more public courts. Once kids start playing, we are going to have our eyes everywhere and hunt for talent. We are looking to establish this from the grassroots so that we have a solid set-up,” added Yajaman.
Besides, the state body also aims to have a high performance centre, where select players will be provided training. Their education will also be looked after. These players will also be sent for tournaments with coaches.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Tennis / by Express News Service / June 20th, 2020
Now, filter coffee for conference calls: Chennai-based coffee startup Farmgate is bringing Arabica beans from Coorg to store shelves, and filter coffee machines to workplaces.
“We have been producing coffee for over 100 years,” says 30-year-old Lakshmanan Sevugan, about his family’s coffee estates in Coorg.
So far, however, the family has only been supplying quality Arabica and Robusta beans to coffee makers and agents. Now, the millennial entrepreneur is changing things. “Usually, these sales that happen through a farm gate, where agents come and buy, are called farm gate sales,” he says, explaining the logic behind the name of his new coffee brand.
Farmgate Coffee, ironically, aims to do the exact opposite of traditional farmgate sales. “We want to give our customers the direct farm to cup experience,” says Lakshmanan. This is what the startup has been trying to do ever since its launch in August.
Arabica beans are brought from the estates in Coorg to Chennai, roasted, ground and blended in Mylapore, and packaged in specific blends with chicory, at Farmgate’s corporate office in Nungambakam. They are then sent to clients like restaurants and coffee shops, each of which orders a unique blend for customers.
“We are focusing on Arabica for now. I have grown up drinking this coffee. I like it to be 100% coffee, but the studies we did show that people prefer different blends,” shrugs Lakshmanan. In fact, 60% of the people they studied with preferred coffee mixed with chicory “because they do not like the pure bitterness of it,” says Lakshmanan.
The coffee is not only for businesses, however. A specific 80% medium-roast coffee to 20% chicory blend, called Namma Chennai, is packaged for retail, and has shown up at a few store shelves around the city. Two more will be up by the end of this year.
“We don’t have distributors as such; we operate the entire supply chain ourselves, since we are still a small startup,” says Lakshmanan. His ambitions don’t end there, probably because his love for coffee itself doesn’t end at the pick stage or with any particular roast, but in a dabara of steaming filter coffee. “I love filter coffee; I would take a break and walk out to drink some, back when I had an office job.”
Lakshmanan is convinced that most office-goers — not only in Chennai and Bengaluru but also Mumbai, Delhi and other parts of the country — would jump at the chance to have filter coffee at work. “But all they get are cappuccino machines, or the option of getting filter coffee delivered from somewhere. It doesn’t taste the same,” he says.
So next up Farmgate’s sleeve is a filter coffee solution, including a blend and a filter coffee machine. “It is a pure play filter coffee vending machine, a separate vessel where decoction is collected, and kept heated at 70 degrees Celsius over a hot plate,” he explains. The machine — currently used by the Farmgate team in their office — then lets the drinker choose a ‘filter coffee’ option.
The device is not developed by Farmgate, but by a private firm that they have tied up with. “We are still a small startup, we don’t have the budget to make our own machines. Just like we don’t have the budget to set up our own roastery, yet.”
Farmgates coffees are roasted and ground, according to its clients’ requirements, at Sundaram Coffee in Mylapore, which has been in the business for over 70 years. Coffee beans are sent to Sundaram every other day, and roasted, cooled, then ground in small batches of five kilos each. “The lesser the amount, the more attention we can give while roasting, and the better taste we get,” says Magan Pradeep, branch manager of Sundaram Coffees in Mylapore.
Back in the coffee estates, picking season has begun. “Arabica till January and Robusta till March. So I will be visiting Coorg more frequently over the next few months. I’m going there next week, in fact,” smiles Lakshmanan.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Megha Majumdar / November 18th, 2019
Members of Kodagu district Growers’ Federation submit a memorandum to MLA Appachu Ranjan. DH Photo
Coffee growers in the district have demanded special package from state government, as planters are facing hardships in the wake of Covid-19 lockdown.
Members of the planters’ association have submitted a memorandum to the MLAs of the district in this regard and have urged chief minister to come to their rescue.
Kodagu district is affected by floods for past two years and the lockdown has worsened the situation, they said and pointed out that harvesting of coffee and pepper in most of the plantations had come to a standstill, resulting in the loss of crops.
It is feared that next year’s yield too will be lost as the growers are finding it difficult to maintain of their plantations.
The growers urged the government to provide special package for the coffee growers.
Vegetable and plantain cultivators too sought assistance from the government, stating that most of the cultivators in the district have been dependent on Kerala market. But, due to the lockdown, the fruits are getting rotten and has led to a huge loss.
The government should announce support price and should procure ‘Nendra’ banana and other fruits from the farmers, the growers said and also requested the government to waive the interest on the loans availed by them.
“A committee of elected representatives should be formed towards formulating plans to encourage farmers to take up cultivation in barren lands,” the memorandum stated.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / May 08th, 2020
The Karnataka district is a rich blend of history and hospitality
Coorg coffee is grown at a high altitude and under a well-defined two-tier mixed shade canopy / Picture: Karen Anand
I recently visited Coorg in southern India. And as my dear husband keeps saying, I immerse myself so wholeheartedly wherever I am that I invariably want to move there… or at the very least make plans to revisit very soon! Coorg is no exception.
About 250km from Bangalore, it’s an area with a sense of nobility and belonging, of dense forests, coffee plantations and some spectacular estates. The terrain is very, very different from the rest of south India. As you take the gentle climb from the plains to Coorg, or Kodagu as it is now known, you have beautiful mountainous rocks, areca palms that produce betel nut, palm trees and then paddy — it’s a really stunning scape that looks like a painting at every glance.
The capital of Madikeri or Mercara as it was called before, looks like a town like any other town in India, but as you dig a little deeper, visit the vast estates and eat with locals, you find a generosity of spirit, an unbelievably high education level (almost 100 per cent literacy) and a joy of preserving traditions… and that includes food.
Coffee and spices
Kodavas look physically very different to people from Karnataka and the neighbouring Tamil Nadu. They are traditionally warriors, hunters and now landowners. Their livelihood is mainly coffee and this area of just 5,000sq km is the largest coffee-producing area in India. History has it that there was a gentleman called Baba Budan who brought coffee beans to the Chandragiri Hills in Chikmagalur from Yemen in the 17th century. Then the British came in the 19th century and found that this was a crop that could be exploited since conditions for growing coffee were pretty perfect. That was the birth of widespread coffee plantations and coffee farming in this area.
Coorg coffee is grown at a high altitude and under a well-defined two-tier mixed shade canopy. Among the bigger evergreen trees are tall jackfruit, rosewood and wild fig trees which protect the coffee from seasonal variations in temperature and also enhance the soil by providing nutrients from deeper layers. The second layer is pepper, cardamom, cloves, orange and banana. It also protects the coffee from the harsh rays of the sun in summer. Conditions are similar in Colombia and Kenya, considered the best coffee-producing regions in the world.
Coorg is known for “spicy” food. There are lots of spices in their spice mixes — pepper, cardamom, cloves and the tiny bird’s eye chilli known as parangi. Spices are roasted and ground, which gives complexity and density of flavour to their dishes, both vegetarian and meat. Although Coorg is known for the famous pork dish, pandi curry, which is a specialty, there are a host of vegetable dishes that use local vegetables like bamboo shoot, wild mushrooms and a kind of red-leafed spinach, all quite delicious and different.
The method of most of their cooking is roasting and dry-grinding spice combinations, which are thrown into a pot of meat or vegetables with a little black vinegar from the kachampuli, a very sour mangosteen-like fruit which is dried till it’s black and from which an intensely sour vinegar is made. Rice is the staple grain and is eaten as is or made into dumplings with coconut and steamed (kadambuttu), rice rotis and rice cakes (paputtu).
Contrary to what I have up to now believed about food in five-star hotels, the cuisine at the rather magnificent and spanking new Coorg Wilderness Resort exceeded all my expectations. It was beautifully served and tasted like real home cooking. From painstakingly researched local recipes to produce wondrous Coorg lunches to the perfect Chicken 65 and velvety fish molee, chef Ranjan and his team nailed it every time. It poured while we were there but the resort itself is something quite fantastic in terms of space and facilities. So if you do want to experience the wilderness, want to have a memorable lunch set in the middle of a forest and come back from a plantation visit to the comfort of a heated bathroom floor and a glass of Paul John single malt, this is the destination for you.
Plantation life
A one-stop shop in Madikeri for all things Coorg is the utterly delightful AINMANE (www. ainmane.com). Thamoo Poovaiah and his partner Narendra Hebbar started the shop four years ago. They source local products like coffee and chocolate made from south Indian cacao beans. You’ll get a brilliant espresso here and have the opportunity to try many blends before you buy.
They produce and package pickles and squashes (passion fruit is a local delicacy), spices and the most extraordinary honey. The problem with Coorg coffee is that half the world’s great brands use Coorg beans in their roasts and blends. The Coorg plantation owners themselves seem content to sell their raw green Arabica and Robusta beans and leave it to others to create the magic, do the marketing and reap the benefits.
We went to Petu Kariappa’s enchanting 100-acre estate called Harangal in Madapur — by Coorg standards this is small. He is one of the few farmers who successfully grows the much-sought-after “diva” of coffee beans, Arabica. The beans are much more difficult to grow than the better yielding and bigger bushes of Robusta. Like many growers, he washes, removes the pulp and dries his beans and sells green coffee to bigger companies who then cure, roast and blend.
We also visited Sadat Sathak, the young man behind Old Kent Estates. One of India’s oldest coffee plantations, it was developed in the 1800s by lieutenant colonel W.R. Wright, an army officer in British India. After his death in 1898, the property remained with his family until 1964 when it was bought by its present owners. Sadat has studied abroad, speaks fluent Italian and has an MBA. It shows. He already successfully exports his beans to Italian coffee companies. The stunning little British-style bungalow has been restored and converted to a boutique hotel with spacious cottage accommodation (the bathrooms are large and built with skylights designed to allow you to have a private spa-like experience) and an English country garden.
We had lunch at the much-talked-about Evolve Back (aka Orange County Resort). It does all it promises in keeping with tradition and nature. And I must say for a 25-year-old property, it has sustained and still gives an excellent level of hospitality.
The rain unfortunately hampered our plans to see more but I will go back and so should you.
Karen Anand is a culinary consultant, food writer and entrepreneur. In recent times her name has been synonymous with farmers’ markets. Follow her on www.facebook.com/karenanand
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, online edition / Home> Travel / by Karen Anand / November 02nd, 2019
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