Chikmagalur Collective

To be able to move India’s oldest coffee estate towards sustainability and restoration was a cherished dream project for us at Beforest. However, we think of ourselves as enablers of intent and not sellers of an idea. Although there was tremendous interest, it didn’t translate into a seed community that cut a cheque based on an idea. As indicated in the last newsletter, we are calling this project off and going back to the drawing board to explore other options.

We are in the process of evaluating a few estates that are comparable in size and quality of produce and would have the same (if not more) impact on the ecosystem. So we are back to the seed community exercise and are looking at estates in the range of 200 – 300 acres, in Chikmagalur area to create a wilderness collective. If the idea of going natural, especially on an intensive crop like coffee, interests you, then reach out to us. 

On a side note, we have embarked on some really ambitious ideas, which can be game changing in the sustainable development space. Watch this space for more. 

We have always prided ourselves as being enablers to an intent and in offering a transparent participative structure to realise member aspirations. 

Initiating any activity on ground only after the seed community shapes up, is one of the steps in this direction. This reduces the capital cost on the project and also allows us to focus on the main task as hand i.e. the rejuvenation of the eco-system and the shaping up of a like-minded community.

While the interest in the private estates at Balur has been consistently high, with more than 60 conversations going on; it has not materialised into prospective members issuing cheques of intent. As a result, we have not been able to close the seed community on this one. 

The Balur Estate holds a special place in our heart. Being India’s oldest coffee plantation, this is a unique opportunity for members to own a piece of history and an unparalleled legacy. But in spite of what we feel as a firm, we took a decision to not pursue this opportunity beyond October 30^th.

So if you have expressed interest but have some queries or concerns, please reach out to Vivekanand on +91 89206 19347 at the earliest and we will be happy to address them. Else, we will go back to the drawing board and think from scratch about a new collective in the hills of Chikmagalur.

With Karnataka in lockdown since April 25 all the way to July, we were pretty stuck on this front and we have to admit we dropped the ball here. However, with renewed vigour we have taken this up again to close the seed community for Balur and reach out to all the folks who had expressed interest in this unique project. To refresh you folks, Balur is the oldest coffee estate in the country and is also the largest only arabica coffee estate in India. This is a unique chance at owning this legacy and what is even more important, preserving it. We are looking for an exclusive set of 46 members who would together own the entire estate of 372 acres. We are really thrilled about this project. Currently, we are having close to a 100 conversations for the first 12 members who would form the seed community. If you have thought of owning a home in the hills then we definitely cannot think of a better blend of life in the hills and modern amenities than Balur Estate. So do reach out. to monitoring the impact to the place. Our efforts have thus paid off with the species richness index going up significantly in the plantation areas. We are extremely proud of this and would love your feedback on the same.

The western ghats have always held a special place in our hearts. After the success of Poomaale Collective, we have floated the idea of Poomaale 2.0, a new collective in the vicinity of Poomaale Estate of a similar size. We have identified a couple of neighboring estates that fit the bill for us and the response to this new collective has also been tremendous. We are almost through with the seed community. So once again, if you didn’t have the bandwidth to take a call on the first one, then do reach out to us now.