Ratnagiri Hemavathi • Vacuum-Shocked Natural
Ratnagiri Estate was established in 1927 by Ashok Patre’s grandfather. Today, Ashok and his partner Divya run the estate with the intent of pushing the boundaries of specialty coffee in India. When Ashok took over the farm in 1989, he began an extensive period of replanting before progressively shifting production toward specialty coffee. Divya oversees harvest activities and training, with particular emphasis on selective cherry picking. The estate is defined by research and progressive experimentation. Ratnagiri has developed its own laboratory and bioprocessing infrastructure, allowing the team to approach fermentation as a controlled biological system and explore its variables with greater precision. Hemavathi is a hybrid variety developed in India with an emphasis on productivity, adaptability, and resistance to coffee leaf rust. Its genetic background is closely associated with Villa Sarchi and Hybrido de Timor. This lot begins with in cherry fermentation for 48 hours with DIV52 microbes inside sealed biofermenters. Following fermentation, the cherries undergo a “vacuum shock” where the chamber reduces the pressure inside the sealed fermentation vessel, creating a high-pressure differential around the coffee. This encourages the mosto surrounding the cherries to move back into the fruit.