Consciously Grown
From nurturing healthy coffee plants and hand-selecting ripe cherries, to meticulous processing and precision roasting, every step is guided by generations of experience and an unwavering commitment to quality.
FROM OUR FARM TO YOUR CUP
GROWING COFFEE SINCE 1950
Four generations of coffee expertise, from the slopes of the Western Ghats to coffee lovers everywhere. At Vana Brew Coffee, the farmer owns the company. This means better coffee for you. We grow organic Robusta coffee and carefully roast in small batches.
GIVING ROBUSTA COFFEE THE RESPECT IT DESERVES
Robusta coffee has long been seen as the “inferior” counterpart to Arabica coffee - something I grew up hearing from producers and roasters alike: bitter, harsh, and burnt. But when I returned to the plantation, I began to question that assumption. The more I understood how coffee is grown and processed, the clearer it became that this reputation wasn’t inherent to the species, but shaped by how robusta has traditionally been produced and perceived. At the same time, I found it interesting that while people seek out caffeine, they dislike the bitterness often associated with it. That led me to ask: if Robusta coffee were treated with the same care as arabica, could it be something more?
Thorough experimentation and experience with robustas answered that for me. When processed with care, what stood out wasn’t just the absence of harshness, but the presence of something distinct: coffees with a creamy texture, a bold, full body, and layered notes of dark chocolate, and toasted nuts, often balanced with a subtle sweetness. Robusta has its own place in the coffee world. That realization is what led to Vana Brew Coffee - an attempt to challenge the idea that robusta is inferior, and to give it the space to be appreciated on its own terms.
Rohit Pinto
Founder of Vana Brew Coffee
Quality and Sustainability
The Vana Brew difference
Natively Cultured
We rely entirely on the natural ecosystem of our farm. Even the microbes that ferment our coffee are native to our farm, allowing every bean to develop complex flavors that are unique to our land and impossible to replicate elsewhere.
Direct from the Farm
The journey is simple. We grow it, we craft it, and we share it with you. No middlemen. Because the coffee never leaves our hands until it reaches yours, every cup is a true reflection of our farm.
1950s
The Beginning
John Pinto and his son C.G. Pinto established Melukudige Estate in the lush hills of the Western Ghats, in the village of Gabgal. What began as a small Arabica coffee plantation laid the foundation for our family’s journey in coffee.
1980s
Reinvention
After the untimely passing of his father, Ronald Pinto took over the plantation at just 16.
Recognizing the land’s true potential, he shifted from Arabica to Robusta coffee, specifically the CxR varietal better suited to the estate’s terroir. He also transformed the farm from a monocrop into a biodiverse system with pepper and arecanut.
More importantly, he introduced washed coffee processing to the region - setting a new standard that influenced the entire village.
2023
Returning to my Roots
Decades later, I, Rohit Pinto found myself drawn back to coffee - this time from a very different world.
While working at a Big 4 firm in Bangalore, coffee became more than just a routine. I became curious about origin, processing, and the gap between how coffee is grown and how it’s perceived.
That curiosity brought me back to the estate. Under my father Ronald’s mentorship, I began to understand the land, the crop, and the craft in a much deeper way.
2026
Vana Brew Coffee is Born
Despite their complexity and character, robustas have long been labeled as inferior. That didn’t sit right.
Vana Brew Coffee was founded to challenge that perception - to showcase what robusta can truly be, and to bring exceptional coffees to people willing to look beyond outdated labels.
