6 Things That Make Bewild Coffee More Than Organic

Packing Robusta Coffee cherries into Ecotact bags before proceeding with Anoxic fermentation at the Poomaale 1.0 Collective, Coorg

At a time when organic coffee is gaining popularity, we are constantly asked if the Speciality Bewild Robusta Coffee grown at our Poomaale 1.0 Collective too is organic, and that’s when we take pride in sharing that it is beyond organic, which often leaves people intrigued and we are not surprised. We attribute this tag to the farming practice of permaculture we use to grow our coffee.

Grounded on the three ethics of people care, earth care and fair share, permaculture is a holistic and sustainable design approach that seeks to create regenerative and self-sufficient ecosystems by mimicking patterns found in nature, emphasising diversity, and maximising efficiency in the use of our resources. In that sense, coffee grown through permaculture interventions goes beyond organic coffee. 

While organic coffee emphasises the absence of synthetic chemicals, permaculture coffee takes a more holistic approach, incorporating sustainable design principles, biodiversity, and soil health for a regenerative and resilient coffee farming system.

Below are 6 things that make our Bewild coffee more than just organic.

1. Holistic Design Philosophy

Permaculture embraces a holistic design philosophy, mimicking natural ecosystems and considering the interconnections between various elements. This approach goes beyond organic coffee farming practices, promoting sustainability and resilience. In every sense, permaculture farming principles are many steps ahead of organic farming like maximising the use of resources from our own landscape, using waste as a resource (zero waste), taking accountability for all the inputs & outputs of the land, and more, working towards a self-replicating/self-sufficient ecosystem that requires minimal human intervention, ultimately reducing our footprint.

2. Biodiversity Enhancement Through Polyculture

As part of our permaculture practices, we embrace polyculture cropping, introducing endangered herbs & medicinal plants and wild flora to attract pollinators and impart forest microclimate by bringing diversity to the coffee blocks. This allows our coffee bushes to have enough bees for open pollination of our robusta coffee blooms to allow a natural, healthy & timely fruit-bearing. We are also planting a fruit forest on the edges of our coffee blocks to further improve its biodiversity because coffee that grows in a biodiverse ecosystem gets the flavour of the surrounding trees and herbs.  In the Poomaale estate, our coffee grows under the canopy of native kodagu trees like – balanji trees, wild jackfruit trees, kammiya mara, with some sparsely distributes oranges and silver oak trees to name a few. 

While organic coffee growers also try to explore polyculture options, they usually follow a monoculture system where only coffee is grown. 

3. Soil Health Restoration & Soil Building

Permaculture prioritises soil health through practices like composting, mulching, and cover cropping and promotes Building soil with forest floor mixes along with microbes and fungi to provide nutrition to the plant for a prolonged period and reduce dependency on external timely inputs. These techniques enhance soil fertility, structure, and nutrient content, leading to healthier and more productive soils and ultimately leading to the growth of fine-quality coffee.

4. Water Conservation

By creating diverse plantings and incorporating water-efficient techniques, permaculture coffee farms often contribute to water conservation. The design helps retain water in the soil and reduces the need for irrigation. One such method is digging up trenches, which serves two purposes: trapping moisture in the soil and creating customised microclimates in coffee blocks.

We also follow the natural cycle of coffee growing and depend largely on rain to supply water to our coffee. Even if we are irritating our coffee blocks, we use the water that we have collected over the years in our man-made ponds, following the permaculture principles of using the available resources from our own land. 

5. Economic Viability

While enhancing ecological sustainability, permaculture coffee farms also consider economic viability. By promoting diverse crops like pepper and cardamom and also fruits like Coorg mandarin, lemon, avocado, guava, etc, all branching into income streams in its season. Permaculture can contribute to the financial resilience of farmers in this sense. Coffee is just one element in the circle of permaculture, whereby it can directly benefit other elements being part of a polyculture system, whereas, in organic coffee farming, it is the end in itself. In permaculture coffee farming, there is no waste, just more resources!

6. Farming That Brings Back Forests

Amongst all the aforementioned points, our coffee is beyond organic because it serves a greater purpose in the whole scheme of things. It is a peg in the wheel of a sustainable lifestyle in the making where half the estate is preserved as a Wilderness Zone, and in the other half, forest-friendly farming and dwelling of the community members take place, enabling sustainable living while maintaining equilibrium with nature. Permaculture is the catalyst for such a feat, and our coffee, as a product of such farming interventions, contributes to farming that brings back forests, making it so much more than just organic!

Bewild Coffee exemplifies a holistic approach to agriculture, going beyond organic by embracing permaculture principles. Through practices like polyculture cropping, soil health restoration, and water conservation, we cultivate exceptional coffee while restoring ecosystems and promoting sustainable livelihoods, all while regrowing forests and fostering sustainable living for the communities of the landscape. Our commitment seeks to harmonise humanity and nature, always challenging what seems unlikely.