Four Letter Word
Chicago, IL, USA
Gundikhan Estate, which belongs to the Coffea Indica group, is dedicated to supporting wildlife conservation through the use of specialty coffee. These producers aim to farm coffee in a manner that does not disturb the movement or existence of native species. They specifically produce specialty coffee to cover the costs of farming in this way. This is because managing a farm that welcomes elephants, tigers, Gaur (Indian Bison), and diverse birdlife requires heavy canopy cover (resulting in reduced yields from coffee plants) and damaged coffee plants from large animals. The premiums garnered from specialty coffee help to offset these expenses. Saif Ulla's farm is impressive. Located between 1,300 and 1,400 meters above sea level, which makes it some of the highest grown coffee in India, Gundikhan is hyper-focused on excellent processing, tree diversity, and producing coffee in a manner that is friendly to the native wildlife. During visits to the estate, one may see firsthand the positive impact of Coffea Indica's approach to farming - on one witnessed occurrence, a tiger killed and ate a Sambar deer between rows of coffee plants. While this may sound slightly terrifying, Coffea Indica views such events as signs of their success in supporting native wildlife.
Red Currant
Green Grape
Mandarin
Orange
Type
Single Origin
Origin
Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, India
Varieties
Sarchimor
Process
Natural
Altitude
1300-1400m
Producer
Saif Ulla
Farm
Gundikhan Estate