On a rainy June evening, we gathered 20 avocado enthusiasts for a blind tasting of four home-grown avocado varietals and two wildly fermented guacamoles — led by Pranoy Thipaiah of Kerehaklu Estate, Chikmagalur.
A specialty coffee and avocado grower working at the intersection of biodiversity and food systems, Pranoy shared insights from nearly a decade of cultivating avocados under forest canopies — and the challenges of building a biodiversity-first value chain in India.
As we tasted everything from buttery to citrus, smoky, tangy to funky, the conversation turned to bigger questions: decolonising the language of flavour, exploring archived food memories, and unpacking the politics that shape what we eat.
A big thank you to Muro for hosting us in their beautiful space — and to every avocado nerd who made the evening unforgettable.
