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Speciality coffee from Kerala to get GI status soon

KOCHI: Malabar Monsooned coffee, a speciality item from the northern Kerala coast, which had conquered the palates of the western world is all set to achieve another landmark when the Geographical Indicator (GI) status would be conferred on it soon.

The Coffee Board officials have already conducted a couple of sittings and it is a matter of time before GI status is given to ‘Malabar Monsooned’ coffee, sources in Aspinwall & Co, which has a market share of nearly 50 per cent of this export commodity, told The Hindu here on Thursday.

This speciality coffee has an interesting genesis, and is cured by the unique monsoon rains of the Malabar coast. What makes it stand apart from its peers is definitive characteristics such as ‘good body, mild acidity, pleasant aroma and flavour.’

A much-sought after item in the Scandinavian countries, with a smattering of followers in Germany, the coffee has many ‘pretenders’ who copycat its qualities mainly in Italy and in the Indonesian coffee production centres.

Producers in northern Kerala and the south Karnataka region mainly hope that the attainment of GI status would usher in a premium to the product that could help in withstanding the volatile fluctuations in the international coffee markets.

Malabar Monsooned has an interesting history.

During the olden days, when coffee from the Malabar coast were transported in sailing ships, the damp environment in the wooden holds of the ships significantly altered the physiological nature of the beans.

The coffee beans lost is colour and quality within the six-month period of journey in the sailing ships.

However the consumers in the West, developed a taste for the coffee that was mellow and less acidic. They started complaining about the taste when the coffee was later shipped in the good holds of the steam ships. .

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