“We take immense pride in the quality of our coffee. Knowing what goes into every cup of Melkodige coffee gives consumers a chance to understand the love, passion and hard work that we put into its production. And their positive feedback is what encourages us to constantly deliver an outstanding coffee experience.”
– Aveen Rodrigues, Melkodige Estate
What makes our coffee special?
Cultivating coffee is a complex process. However, the reward is worth it.
To start, Arabica beans are more challenging to grow. They need extremely rich soil, and everything from the climate to the elevation, and the plants surrounding the coffee plant can make a big difference in the final product.
Located 4,000 ft above sea level, Melkodige Estate is nestled in the serene mountain ranges of the Kudremukh Bio-reserve in the Western Ghats, one of the top-ten biodiversity hotspots in the world.
The Southern Wing Butterfly, the largest in India, is also the inspiration for our logo. It is one of the many species of butterflies, flora and fauna that make their home at Melkodige Estate.
- 9,200 plant species
- 504 bird species
- 139 animal species
At this elevation the Arabica coffee beans mature slower and are much denser and harder than the beans grown at lower levels. The leisurely, careful maturation of our coffee beans produce the wonderful flavours that connoisseurs love.
Melkodige is blessed with up to 120 inches rainfall annually. Our coffee is planted on 45 – 60 degree slopes under a three-tier shade system that is unique to India, and results in a distinctive microclimate. The taller native shade trees are of the ficus, syzygium and lagerstroemia species. The lower temporary shade is made up mainly of erythrina species, which enrich the soil by nitrogen fixation.
The western lie of the land provides plenty of light and temperature for the production of photosynthates by the plants during the day, and the cool mist bearing clouds drifting inland from the coast lowers the nighttime temperatures that help in the conversion of photosynthates to sugar. This process gives our coffees their unique sweet orange-like fruity flavour, and the captivating aroma of citrus blossoms.
Process
A time-tested technique, perfected
At Melkodige, the way we process and dry our beans has an enormous effect on its taste and texture.
© 2018 – Melkodige Coffee