Riverdale Estate Sc 15+ Natural Champagne

Here at Condesa, we’ve just recently begun sourcing coffee from Riverdale Estate – a specialty coffee producer based in the Shevaroy Hills in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Riverdale Estate is located in Yercaud, a forestry station situated high in the Shevaroy Hills of the Eastern Ghats. The farm sits at an elevation 1450 metres above sea level, with natural spring water flowing through it and a forest reserve around it. Shade trees, including tall silver oak, peppercorn, jackfruit, sandalwood, and orange trees, are planted throughout the farm to prevent soil erosion. The area is rich in biodiversity and wildlife, with Indian bison (gaur), monkeys, and peacocks living in the forest. The loamy soil found here is a combination of clay, silt, and sand, which is great for growing coffee.

Riverdale Estate has been a family farm for around 100 years and is now managed by a young farmer by the name of Prakashan Balaraman. He took over management of the farm in 2005, redeveloping it from the ground up to cater to the specialty coffee industry. Prakashan loves working with nature and studying native tree species, micronutrition for coffee plants, and how to modernise coffee farming. Prakashan’s brother, Mohan, handles sales and marketing for the company. He says that the estate aims to be open and transparent, with a focus on innovation and sustainability. “We aspire to be a leader in the global coffee industry by creating an environment where innovation, quality and transparency all coexist,” he says. “We believe in building an ecosystem where roasters and farmers work hand in hand to push the boundaries of the coffee flavour in a sustainable manner.”

Riverdale Estate offers a number of washed, natural, honey, and carbonic maceration coffees. Mohan explains that their washed coffees are processed with natural spring water, while their naturals are dried on raised beds before being packed away in climate-controlled storage. The harvest season in this region runs from November to January, and the Estate’s trained staff handpick ripe fruit to ensure only high-quality coffee cherries are selected.