Hulikere Estate • India

This is our second year purchasing coffee from Shreedev and Sushmita Hulikere, via our friends at Osito Coffee. Shreedev and Sushmita manage Hulikere Estate, a sprawling 100 hectare farm, with over 100 year-round employees. This is a big deal: positions like a coffee picker, for example, tend to be a seasonal labor force, and by offering more stable work, Hulikere has a base of a very skilled team that knows what it takes to produce higher quality coffee. Hulikere Estate is also a part of the KaadKaapi collective, which focuses on integrating the systems of coffee production alongside the natural environment. To put it more clearly: these producers prioritize the health of their farmland and forests before coffee cultivation. They believe that, in the face of our shared climate crisis, conservation of local biodiversity should be the primary goal, using coffee as a tool for that care. All coffee at Hulikere is hand picked and processed within the same day. Processing techniques include float removal, disc pulping, natural fermentation, and meticulous drying in clay brick yards. This is a massive feat, thanks to their year-round workers, that contributes to the impressive quality of their coffee. We selected this coffee to continue showcasing Hulikere Estate, as well as highlight the consistency of coffee from Chikmagalur, India. Over the last 3 years, we’ve purchased many coffees from India, and washed lots like this one remind us of what makes India’s terroir so special. This coffee has complex nutty and umami notes of sesame and pistachio, a caramel-like sweetness/finish, and lingering notes of dried mango and baking spices.