India, Kerehaklu

A sweet complex cup, crafted through innovative fermentation. Kerehaklu Estate in Chikmagalur, India, is a 97-hectare farm run by father and son Ajoy and Pranoy Thipaiah. The estate grows coffee within old-growth jungle, blending traditional biodiversity with modern, science-based processing. Ajoy focuses on plant health and sustainable farming, while Pranoy, a biology graduate, leads post-harvest innovation that highlights the coffee’s natural genetics and native microbiome. Together, they balance sustainability, quality, and forward-thinking experimentation. Pranoy’s process resembles sourdough fermentation: he develops a starter culture from parchment coffee and mucilage, using native yeasts and bacteria to inoculate future fermentations. First, freshly picked cherries are floated, then fermented overnight in their fruit. The next morning, they’re pulped and placed in water with the starter culture, stirred regularly for even fermentation. After 35–37 hours, the coffee is washed an