Riverdale Estate Watermelon

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, mirco-nutrition for coffee plants, and how to modernise coffee farming. 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."

Hand picked ripe cherries are washed in natural spring water and real watermelon fruits are used to ferment in air tight bags for 72 hours. Temperature and pH are monitored in the process to produce consistency in every lot. Once the fermentation is complete cherries are sun dried in raised beds for 25-30 days.