Skia Coffee

Run by Ashish Rao, Skia is a dream years in the making. After visiting nearly 30 estates, he found the right plot in Coorg and began building the farm from the ground up. 

Today, Skia is an 8-acre coffee estate nestled in Nelaji Village, at an elevation of 990 to 1,020 metres. Skia (σκιά), the Greek word for "shade", nods to the way coffee is grown here—under a canopy of native trees, alongside birds, small mammals, and pollinators. Over the past six years, Ashish has equipped the farm with end-to-end processing infrastructure. Skia now houses a dedicated pulping and washing unit, along with its own hulling and curing facility.  

Beyond his own harvest, Ashish collaborates closely with neighbouring smallholder farmers to promote their coffee and help them get better prices for their produce.