The Story Behind 7000 Steps's Wild Coffee

Meghalaya, one of the 8 states of Northeast India, known for its pristine hills and clouds which creates a scenic view worth capturing to the naked eye.
Mr. Ralph, CEO of Chillibreeze Shillong, one day on one of his adventurous hikes in the canyons of Cherrapunjee (a few kilometers from Shillong, the capital), came across a broken branch of a coffee plant and brought a few beans back to Zizira (an agricultural venture of Chillibreeze) for testing. The taste of the coffee made Mr. Ralph realize the potential of coffee which could be developed further by proper techniques required to produce quality coffee.

After 3-4 years of on research of coffee in Meghalaya, found that coffee cultivation has been carried out long before it was discovered by Mr. Ralph, reason being, it was not well documented. Few farmers harvested the coffee plant with poor processing technique who had little to no experience in the field of coffee plant harvesting. For the time being, farmers only knew how to dry the coffee beans which are transported from Guwahati to Bangalore for the auction thus making hard working farmers wait for their paycheck to arrive and sometimes which took 4-5 months as described by one of the few farmers named Mr. Mynsong from Ri-Bhoi district.

We here at Zizira then took the initiative towards coffee farming and the research required under our wings, which we now sell as as ‘Meghalaya Wild Coffee’. The coffee procured comes from remote villages in Meghalaya such as Mynriah, Pynursla, Nongshken, Nongrah, Marnga and Nongrynkoh which cultivate both Arabica and Robusta coffee varieties grown at an average altitude of 1300ft – 4000ft.

Arabica being sweet and slightly more acidic in taste requires special attention to nurture while Robusta with its woody-burnt flavour and its low acidity may appeal to some people addicted to caffeine.
While the exploring and experimenting the potential of land, people and its rich culture will never stop because it has a lot to say and a lot to learn.
Coffee from the pristine hills of Meghalaya growing under suggested altitudes is worth waking up to the taste of ‘Meghalaya Wild Coffee’.

Is There Potential for Coffee to Flourish in Meghalaya?

the people in this diverse state are traditionally tea drinkers. As you already know, a stroll through the town’s market places and roadside shops would inevitably lead one to a local tea shop. But the gradual shift towards coffee is an exciting change that’s for sure, especially among the youths who seem to be the ones ushering this new era of coffee drinkers. 

Of course, when it comes to Wild Coffee Meghalaya, the push, however, does not merely spring from the current trends but rather from a vision of wanting to connect with the local coffee planters/ farmers and providing them with a platform to make a living off selling their coffee. Some form of work or employment which would inevitably help them raise their economic livelihood, education, and not to forget the culture of entrepreneurship. The vision also extends to helping promote the coffee culture that Meghalaya is currently witnessing to the rest of the world.  

Apart from all of this, if you’re an avid coffee drinker, you would know of the several health benefits that coffee has and so this is also something that we wish to promote.   

Wild Coffee Meghalaya is a relatively new venture to be honest and we are a small, young team, working towards putting Meghalaya on the coffee map in India, and if we’re being optimistic about it, perhaps the rest of the world. Under the mentorship of our sister company, Zizira, and of course our parent company Chillibreeze, the team strives to work with coffee planters from different villages in and around Meghalaya. Places such as Mynriah, Pynursla, Nongskhen, Nongnah, Marngar and Nongrynniang are some of the villages that we source from. The coffee beans are all grown locally, and we collect them and bring them back to our office where the process of hulling, roasting, and making blends of different types is all done in-house. Rigorous roasting tests are done to make sure we ger the most perfect roast and then finally we ship these fresh hand-roasted coffee beans to our yearning customers. 

What Kind of Coffee Beans Are There in Meghalaya? 

There are two types of coffee available, namely Arabica and Robusta, from farmers and coffee planters from different corners of the state of Meghalaya. 
 

The Coffee vs. Tea Debate 

You would reach out for coffee or tea every morning as you lounge at home or at work, but as the debate on which one is better, well both parties would have their own grounds to defend. You would agree that most of the people in the state are tea drinkers and coffee is just a secondary option but that is not the case anymore these days, isn’t it? 

Although there are different flavours and kinds of tea you can get in restaurants and cafes, it is more of the array of coffee drinks that you find in most coffee shops that brings it home for the big coffee transition in the state. For instance, you can order an espresso, mocha, americano or a cappuccino in almost any café in the city today, and there are a bunch of places to choose from. Alternatively, you can ask for something new from any coffee shop or café. 

The major and obvious challenge is that we are traditionally a tea-drinking state and the appeal for coffee in the common household is yet to be generated right now. But Meghalaya is slowly evolving in every aspect. It is not shying away from trying new things, be it digital banking or online shopping. If ventures like us, and small businesses or shops can create a connection with the people, then we could see exponential growth in the overall consumption of coffee in the state.