Four generations, one hillside
since 1924Mistvale has been a coffee estate since 1924. The Ponnappa family still runs it, and opened the first cottage to guests in 2009.
The bungalow is built and the first arabica planted.
The planter's cottage is added for the estate writer.
The family opens the bungalow to its first guests.
Floods reshape the stream. The stone cottage is built from its rocks.
The treehouse, glass cabins and pool villa are completed.
What is happening in the rows
BlossomMarchTwo days of white flowers that smell of jasmine, after the first rain.
CherryNovember to JanuaryThe berries ripen red and are picked by hand, row by row.
PepperJanuary to MarchVines climb the silver oaks; the spikes are dried on the yard.
RoastAll yearSmall batches in the curing shed, cupped every afternoon.
Every path on 240 acres tap a point
Shade-grown, rain-fed, slow
The coffee grows under a canopy of native trees, which keeps the birds and the soil. We collect rain in two ponds, heat water with the sun, and compost everything from the kitchen.
