It’s mid-January and you board a plane in Central Europe. After several hours, you get off in southern India and you think you’ve landed in paradise. And this feeling lasts for about an hour and a half. The high humidity combined with absurd temperatures at sea level is not an optimal environment for the average white joe, fortunately, we quickly move to the Eastern Ghats – a mountain range surrounding the town of Yercaud, situated 1500 meters above sea level. And this time it’s paradise squared!

The area is beautiful and truly unique. During the hour-long drive along narrow serpentine roads, we pass groups of monkeys at every turn, waiting for some free snacks from homo sapiens. At some point, a wonderful forest begins which will accompany us throughout the whole trip. Within it, among the first coffee trees, there are majestic pepper plants and hundreds of other tropical flora species. I can’t compare these views to anything I’ve seen before.

My guide is Mohan Balaraman. Together with his brother, Prakash, they’re Indian specialty coffee pioneers and the owners of Riverdale Estate. This story actually starts about 10 years ago when Jola, 88 Graines co-founder, who was living in Melbourne at the time, meets Mohan at one of the coffee events. They “click”. Thanks to this relationship, we can start working with these amazing professionals and bring some of the finest Indian coffee to Europe for the first time, during the summer of 2024.

Over the past ten years, Riverdale has embraced cutting-edge farming techniques, including an impressive, modern cupping lab, an energy-efficient wet mill, drip irrigation systems which use water from a waterfall at the top of the hill, African-style raised beds for drying and a temperature-controlled warehouse for post-harvest storage. Hats off!

The plantation, situated at 1450 meters above sea level, cultivates the most popular hybrid variety in the country – SLN 9 (Ethiopian x Hibrido de Timor) along with brown and green tip geishas. The farm is located in the middle of a natural forest and it’s just the most beautiful and peaceful place nature could create.

While India may still not be in your top tier for the best quality coffees, times are changing. And the Balaraman brothers are doing a fantastic job of showcasing beautiful qualities the coffees from India might present and breaking the stereotypes that are still so common in the industry.

After farming, it obviously starts with picking. To ensure consistent excellence, their picker team, consisting of local residents, being paid well above average wages, receives ongoing training and adheres to strict quality control measures. They understand that fruit development is a complex and time-consuming process, closely monitoring the maturation of the beans on a weekly basis. This allows them to have a clear roadmap and begin their work from the early stages of seed development, paying attention to how the seeds store protein and sucrose within their walls. I joined them one day and picked coffee for about an hour and a half. These people are too well-mannered to laugh at me, so they kindly smiled as they looked at the results of my work. Seriously, anyone who fusses on a coffee geeks forum about the superiority of conical drippers over flat-bottom ones should one day work physically in the field on a coffee farm. It would come out good for all!

The coffee beans are dried on African style raised beds. Throughout the process, any defective or broken beans are removed, maintaining the quality of the final product. While hanging out on the farm, I see the workers constantly raking cherries or parchment. Once the beans reach a moisture level between 10-13%, they are stored in special storage spaces. These areas are equipped with monitoring systems that track humidity and temperature on a daily basis. Each processed lot is stored separately, labeled with detailed information such as harvest date, drying conditions, lot size, and processing details. This meticulous approach ensures traceability and allows them to maintain the quality and consistency of their coffees.
And now, the most crazy part. The processes. Washeds, naturals, honeys, anaerobics, carbonics, co-ferments – you name it. It’s insane how Balaramans’ fermentation techniques can modulate the flavor profile of one variety – SLN9. They have reached a master level in this, and cupping a dozen lots from the 2024 harvest was the best experience. We’re happy and excited to offer you a truly neat selection of Prakash, Mohan and the whole Riverdale team.
The sugar on top is their geisha. We bought some small quantities of both green and brown tip variations too. I bet you a fortune you wouldn’t win the “Guess the origin!” game.
I certainly wouldn’t.

Our visit to Riverdale was another reality check. The coffee producing world is indescribably diverse and fascinating. Full of harmful stereotypes and beliefs as well, sometimes. With the beginning of this relationship, we hope to make a small contribution, thanks to the Balaraman brothers, to building a better, interesting and, above all, truer picture regarding the cultivation of specialty coffee in India, but also other, underestimated coffee growing regions!