Meet the Kerala farmer brewing India’s first tender coconut wine

Farmer Sebastian P Augustine at his farm in Bheemanady, Kasaragod
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Sebastian P Augustine, a former government employee, settled in his ancestral property, spread across 15 acres, at Bheemanady, Kasaragod, over six decades ago. Having spent a significant part of his life at Vempally in Kottayam, he decided to start farming post retirement, planting crops such as rubber, pepper, cocoa, coconut and even exotic fruits such as dragon fruit and avocado.

In the early 2000s, the coconut trees on his field were infested by eriophyid coconut mite, an insect-like organism that affects coconut production. Officials from the Department of Agriculture advised him to pluck karikku (tender coconut) in large quantities, to keep the infestation in check. 

With so much tender coconuts at his disposal, he decided to prepare wine.  “I made karikku wine at home for the first time in 2004,” says Sebastian. “Earlier, I had attended a course on food processing. It was there that I learnt how to make wine from jackfruit. I used the same process here.”

Apart from tender coconut, the wine also contain around 25% of other fruits, such as dragon fruit, jackfruit, mango, and pineapple, depending on their availability. “These are added to attain an optimum amount of pectin to make the wine strong,” says Sebastian over a phone call.

Tender coconut wine prepared by Sebastian P Augustine
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

It requires 1000 coconuts to make 250 litres of the product, he explains.

The wine has alcohol content from 12.5 to 15% and takes around 10 to 28 days for fermentation. “Coconut water and flesh don’t take much time to ferment when compared to grapes,” says Sebastian.

Sebastian is also planning on producing a wide range of wines made from different fruits available in his field.  “We’ll have premium and premium plus variety. We’ll also be making wines with spices added to them,” says Sebastian.

Sebastian P Augustine
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

He is a recipient of the Kera Kesari Award in 1998-99, given to the best coconut farmer in the state by the Kerala government. He has also won accolades from the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) and the Coconut Development Board (CDB).

In 2007, Sebastian attained a patent for his wine. However, he was unable to gain a license until 2024, two years after the state government passed the Kerala Small Scale Winery Rules of 2022, which allowed the production of ‘horti-wine’, a product of alcoholic fermentation of tropical fruits containing alcohol up to 15.5%. These can be sold only through the outlets of Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo).  

The farmer is hoping to launch a start-up with the patented wine. “The procedures are going on and people have been expressing their interest to invest in it as well,” he says.

However, the winery comes under the ‘negative list’ of enterprises that are ineligible for financial assistance, loans, subsidies, or exemptions by the Union and the State governments. “A lot of people who were ready to invest in the business, went back on their word because of this,” says Sebastian.

Nevertheless, Sebastian hopes to launch the product in the market soon.