Ever Heard of Tender Coconut Wine? This Keralite Farmer Became Famous for Brewing India's First!

Like Feni, Toddy, and Lugdi, another interesting addition to India’s regional alcoholic beverage list is a tender coconut wine, brewed by an 82-year-old farmer Sebastian Augustine from Kasaragod in Kerala. Sebastian, a former Kerala State Government employee, took up farming as his post-retirement pastime. Since his retirement, he decided to pursue farming as his full-time hobby. So far, he has planted several crops such as rubber, pepper, cocoa and exotic fruits such as dragon fruit and avocado. An expert in coconut farming, he won the prestigious Kera Kesari award in 1998 for being Kerala’s best farmer. Moving forward, let's dive into his inspiring story of how he handcrafted India's first-ever tender coconut wine!

The Origin Story of the Tender Coconut Wine

The inspiring idea of brewing this unique tender coconut wine originated in the early 2000s when Sebastian had to face a tragedy. An insect-like organism, Eriophyid, a coconut mite, infested his 15-acre coconut farm in Bheemanady in Kasaragod district. The officials from the Department of Agriculture recommended he gather all the Karikku (tender coconut) in large quantities to keep the infestation in check. That’s when he came up with the idea to handcraft a one-of-a-kind wine - the tender coconut wine. In an interview, Sebastian mentioned he had taken a course on food processing, which helped him with the creation process of this wine.

He uses a blend of various fruits like mango, banana, dragon fruit, jackfruit, tender coconut and kernel to make this alcoholic beverage, which requires around 1000 coconuts for a 250 litre quantity. This wine has an alcohol content ranging from 8-10% with subtle hints of tropical fruits and tender coconut and takes around 10-28 days for the entire fermentation process, unlike grape wine.

The Legal Battle 

Sebastian first made this wine in 2004, after his coconut farm was infested by the coconut mites. That’s when he realised he wanted to pursue this ahead. He managed to receive a patent in 2007. However, it was held back due to disputes over similar patents which were already owned by the Chinese wine-makers. After a long and persistent two-decade legal battle, he finally won the case and got the patent in 2023. Augustine won the battle after proving to the patent authorities that his process was unique as he used tender coconut and kernel, unlike the Chinese patent holders who only used coconut water.

After his glorious victory, Sebastian now plans on expanding and exporting his novel creation, the tender coconut wine in global markets like the USA, EU, Canada, Philippines, and Indonesia. 

Please indulge in alcohol consumption only if you are above the legal drinking age. Drink responsibly and don't drink and drive.