New Bewild Speciality Coffee (Dark Roast variant)

In 2022, when someone asked us if Bewild Coffee was ‘organically grown’, we would proudly say, “It is beyond organic. It is forest-friendly!” That piqued the interest of conscious consumers, whether they were new to coffee or knew the bean inside out. A year later, in 2023, we added another layer to the beloved forest-friendly coffee, which made it go beyond the general crowd appeal and enter the growing speciality coffee industry of the world. From coffee harvested from the depths of Coorg’s wilderness to diligently grown and processed speciality coffee from the same depths, our Bewild coffee has evolved. It was all made possible with the support of a fantastic team of growers, processors, roasters, brewers, and of course, the beautiful, biodiverse and conducive landscape of the Poomaale Estate.

Coffee as Intended by Nature

Ripe robusta coffee cherries in the coffee forest of the Poomaale Estate

Coffea canephora, popularly known as Robusta coffee, is a treasure we discovered in our pursuit of rewilding the Poomaale Estate, the first Wilderness Collective of Beforest. The estate’s coffee bushes, untouched by human activities for about 10-15 years, have been nurtured by abundant endemic wildlife of the Western Ghats, sharing the same ground as wild herbs, growing lush under the shade of numerous trees, such as the native Kodagu balanji trees, wild jackfruit trees, kammiya mara (acacia odoratissima), dhupada mara (vateria indica) trees, bairi (big fig) trees, along with some sparsely distributed orange and silver oak trees. In the first year of farming at the Poomaale Estate, we harvested this wild robusta coffee and processed it in a completely natural way by sun-drying, raking, hand-sorting and collecting, and later sent it for hulling & roasting. When we introduced it to our community as a product under Bewild (the produce arm of Beforest), we were surprised by the interest it garnered, even among those who were a bit averse to robustas due to their naturally stronger and earthy flavours. 

Bewild Coffee – Bhumi, one of the (old) 6 variants of our wild coffee from the 2022 harvest.

The ‘wild factor’ of the coffee not only attracted a troop of conscious consumers but was also very well received by the top Q-graders, roasters and brewers of the Indian coffee industry. Upon receiving numerous comments like “we can’t believe this is robusta” and “this is surprisingly flavourful for a robusta”, we realised that the wilderness of Poomaale did more for the coffee than give it a healthy ecosystem to grow in. It imparted a complexly unique character to the coffee bean, whose flavours were waiting to be explored and unlocked. Thus began our journey to discover the hidden flavour web of robustas to craft an excellent cup of speciality coffee.

Improved Processes, Enhanced Flavours, Cleaner Cups

Like excellent things are born out of several learnings, trials and errors, our speciality robusta coffee was crafted by combining permaculture farming efforts, experimenting with molecular coffee fermentation and following stringent measures and industrial standards required for speciality coffees. 

Abundant Biodiversity – Bringing a Unique Character to Bewild Coffee

Biodiversity images captured by camera traps set up for the biodiversity survey of the Poomaale Estate, Coorg

We have preserved 50% of the estate as a minimal intervention wilderness zone to maintain ecosystem balance, minimise human-wildlife conflict and retain the wild character of the coffee. To ensure that our coffee growing at the Poomaale Estate does not harm the existing rich ecosystem, we follow permaculture farming, which helps us improve the health of the robusta coffee plants, which, in turn, yields fine-quality cherries & beans. Various kinds of coffee pruning, soil building & water harvesting interventions complete and complement each other, making a closed circular loop.

A Learning Curve – Getting Familiar With Coffee Fermentation

Left: Beforest team members attend the Molecular Coffee Workshop by Marc’s Coffees.

Right: Marc Tormo visits the Poomaale Estate to guide the team on the fermentation process for the experimental batches.

Along with our forest-friendly growing methods, we began learning the science of coffee with Marc Tormo, a speciality coffee expert from Auroville, who also became our guide to the fermentation experiments we carried out in selected batches and limited quantities from our abundant harvest of 2023. These fermented robusta samples were cupped by many respected connoisseurs of the Indian coffee industry, who shared their wonder at the “surprisingly robusta coffee” and feedback on how it can be enhanced further – valuable insights which we plan to integrate into our processes in the coming year.

Improved Coffee Processes – Enhancing Flavours

Left: Controlled drying unit installed at the Poomaale Estate, Coorg

Centre: Fermentation starters for a few of the experimental coffee batches

Right: Red honey sundried coffee – one of the fermentation experiment samples

The real game changer for our coffee, however, has been the meticulous post-harvest processing we conducted this year to ensure only the best quality beans reached the cup. Harvesting was done by selective hand-picking of cherries only from the plants with at least 90% ripened fruits from skilled coffee-pickers. Our team also ensured industrial standard sanitisation levels at harvesting, transport, cleaning, sorting, packing and fermenting levels (for the experimental batches). The unique processing methods that speciality coffee making requires offered our team an opportunity for learning and skill development. It also helped them strengthen their teamwork and expand their networks, adding to their inspirational and social returns – key elements of the 4 Returns Framework we follow.

In addition to last year’s sun drying process, we also carried out a controlled and more efficient drying of cherry and parchments in the controlled coffee drying unit we installed earlier this year. Further moisture control was done through regular raking and packing in ecotact & jute bags. These additional steps of post-harvest care helped us preserve the inherent goodness of the coffee bean, shaped by the rich wild biome it grew in, allowing us to extract complex flavour notes from the coffee. 

Presenting Our Speciality Robusta Coffee

Much like fine wine, speciality coffee is an interplay of the terrain or the biome it is grown in and how it is treated throughout its journey, from seed to cup. Every step, big or small, plays a role in imparting the desired flavours, making coffee a delicate craft. The growing ‘conscious consumer’ base worldwide is acknowledging efforts that go into bringing that perfect cup to the table, which has given rise to a culture of coffee appreciation. Furthermore, the focus on ethical and sustainable coffee growing has added to the rising value of speciality coffees worldwide. 

Team Bewild brewing beverages with Bewild Speciality Robusta Coffee at the World Coffee Conference 2023, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

While our customers always appreciated Bewild for its forest-friendly growth, we wanted them and the world to know Bewild coffee for more than its endearing ‘wildness’. To weave the nuances of our work with the growing conscious coffee culture, we decided to re-tell the tale of Bewild coffee and bring to light all the elements that add the ‘special’ to our speciality coffee – from the rich biodiversity that shapes its inherent wild and complex character, the gentle growing and careful processing, the people working behind the scenes and the spirit of exploring nature’s best. We wanted the same to reflect in the look and feel of Bewild coffee, which further motivated us to redesign our coffee packaging.

The Cover Tells the Story

Our first coffee packaging was a total crowd favourite! The appeal of its refreshing colours and foliage pattern always prompted people to pick up a box. However, as an evolving brand that is knee-deep in understanding the intricacies of all things coffee in relation to conservation and regenerative farming, we realised that we needed to make a deeper connection with consumers. We wanted the story of our origin, purpose, people, landscapes and intertwined biodiversity to reach every Bewild coffee drinker. So, we channelled it and brought all the characters to the stage through our new, playful and layered coffee packaging design that reflects the qualities of the landscape our coffee comes from.

The new Bewild Speciality Coffee packaging design for dark & medium roast variants

In our new coffee packaging, we introduced the elements of Poomaale’s landscape, the lush greens adorned with ripe red coffee cherries weaved into a pattern inspired by the flow of water. You can also find elements of the rich biodiversity and hints of Coorg’s culture, such as the iconic Kodagu head cap (which also inspired the wavy pattern), some signature tools used in coffee farming, the long-armed chair that you often find in south Indian households (also, find them in our wilderness guest house – Blyton Bungalow) and the must-have gum boots for hiking around the lush wetlands of the region. These elements are playfully interspersed with information which adds to the story. The new Bewild packaging and its concept were loved by many who visited us at the World Coffee Conference in 2023 in Bengaluru, where we officially launched the coffee.

Launching Our Speciality Coffee at the World Coffee Conference

The World Coffee Conference 2023, which took place for the first time in India, was not only a place to introduce our renewed Bewild coffee but also to launch ourselves successfully into the coffee industry. The 4-day event presented us with opportunities to interact with several industry veterans as well as expand our network for future collaborations. Our speciality robusta coffee was presented to the visitors as a ‘whole coffee experience’ through a menu curated by our coffee consultant, Geetu Mohnani and her team. Besides the taste, the menu, which had 6 beverages inspired by different parts of a plant, deeply connected with the coffee drinkers at the event. 

First look at the Bewild stall at the World Coffee Conference 2023, Bengaluru, India.

We received much appreciation for our ethics, practices and philosophy behind coffee production from people like Ashok Patre from the famous Ratnagiri Coffee Estate, Sunil Pinto from CQI (Coffee Quality Institute), Sushant – QC head at Olam Coffee India, Nirupam – a certified Q-grader, founder of BerryCo specialising in robusta coffees, Sunalini Menon – the coffee woman of India, and last but not least, Marc Tormo – who helped us come so far in our coffee journey. In her official talk at WCC 2023 about the ‘mysterious robustas of India’, Sunalini Menon talked about Bewild coffee and included one of our experimental robusta coffees from the 2023 harvest in her workshop. It sure marked a proud milestone for the Bewild team, and we can only say that there’s a lot more to come!

Team Bewild at the World Coffee Conference 2023, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

We have had a steep learning curve, from recognising the potential of the robusta coffee of Poomaale, decoding the nature of the bean, processing it in various ways to bring out the hidden complex flavour notes, to even brewing it to perfection – all this with the help of a wonderful team of growers, processors, roasters and brewers. As we move from one growing season to another, we can only see the curve go upward, and we can’t wait to share this journey with our coffee-loving community. 

Until then, why don’t you get a taste of our new Bewild Speciality Coffee?