Partner estate

Mooleh Manay.

The corner house, on the Harangi backwaters.

Nakoor Village, North Coorg, Karnataka.

Mooleh Manay means “corner house” in Kannada. The estate was carved out of the larger Kanbile estate in 2013, on land that has been in the Gundugutti family since the early 1800s.

It was started by G.G. Padmashree, a fourth-generation planter. Today it is run by Akshay Dashrath and Komal Sable, who live on the farm. Komal is also a co-founder of the South India Coffee Company.

Coffee grows under jungle shade, including wild jack and yellow teak. Most of the farm is weeded by hand, without weedicides, and fertiliser is used sparingly. Mooleh Manay is also among the first farms in India to grow high-grade Excelsa.