Kerala's Own Drink: Taste tender Coconut Wine

By K S Ashik
Converting a crisis into opportunity is not something that comes naturally to farmers who cry for relief instead. When a disease infected his coconut plantation in Kasargod, 66-year-old coconut farmer, Sebastian P Augustine, found a way to make wine from tender coconut and instantly shot to fame.

“I have got an Indian patent (No. 209015) for developing coconut wine from tender coconut and tender coconut water in August 2007, this is the first time in the world any one is getting such a patent,” Sebastian P Augustine told Commodity Market.

Once the news spread about his innovation, lots of scientists and companies began persuading Sebastian to transfer the know-how to them. This included the famous UB group owned by Vijay Mallya. Instead of transferring the technology to a bigger company, Augustine has decided to start commercial production from Kasargod on Kerala-Karnataka border. “I have applied for government licence for which I have to take an excise licence under the Abkari Act to begin operations,” Sebastian said.

He will also get a subsidy from Coconut Development Board once the project is approved. Coconut wine was pioneered in China and Philippines. However, they used grated coconut, coconut water and more water is added to ferment it. “In my technology only tender coconut kernel and tender coconut water is used and it has more sugar content. Therefore, unlike the Chinese technology, only a little sugar is needed to ferment,” Sebastian said.

He wants the Kerala government to use the product as a USP to promote tourism in the state. Sebastian, a retired deputy tehsildar, also won the Kera Kesari Award in 1998, instituted by the Kerala government for the best coconut farmer in the state. Sebastian has already filed for patents in the European Union, the US, Canada, Indonesia and the Philippines.

His organic farm in Beemanady in the eastern part of Kasargod district has been awarded the best coconut garden by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) in 2000. This innovative farmer hopes that the wine development will help coconut farmers in Kerala to add value to their products if the state government promotes the Maharashtra model of wine tourism.

At the domestic market too, the unique wine could lure tourists and natives alike, insuring coconut farmers against the volatile market. Farmers, at the mercy of market fluctuations and pest attacks, will find the wine industry a boon. It's high time the coconut market diversified its products instead of competing with other edible oils, he said. Maharashtra government is aggressively promoting wine tourism by removing all legal hurdles to wine making.

Since the law regards wine as distinct from liquor, grape farmers are free to brew wine in Maharashtra vineyards. The government has even started wine parlours, Sebastian said. Tender coconut harvesting doubles the yield from the tree. Moreover, the frequent plucking of tender coconut helps keep dreaded epidemics like mandari at bay. While the double harvesting gives a decent profit to the farmer, plucking coconuts before they ripen up to seven months increases workdays of the farm labourer.

It's a win-win situation. He claims that the tender coconut wine is devoid of any artificial agents and can be the purest drink as it does not even contain natural water as found in other wines. In 2004, when his seven-acre coconut grove developed rot, Augustine started cutting bunches of coconuts on the advice of his neighbours.

Not knowing what to do with the hundreds of tender coconuts, he decided to try his hand at making wine from coconut water. Once, on a holiday with his daughter and son-in-law in the US, Augustine saw wine being made from fruits and he was inspired. First, the water from the tender coconuts is mixed with the kernel. Then, a few fruits, such as grapes and pineapple, and spices, such as cinnamon, clove and vanilla, among others, are added along with a bit of sugar, and the concoction is left to ferment for nearly a month. The wine then is cleared and pasteurized and bottled.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) website, the uniqueness of Sebastian's technology is that it does not use synthetic chemicals. “The present invention relates to a process for the production of wine from tender coconut water. The common way of making wine for centuries is by fermentation supported by chemicals. Here neither natural water nor chemicals are used to make a highly healthy, hygienic and nutritional beverage with 12.25 per cent ethyl alcohol content out of tender coconut water and other ingredients.”

THE INVENTION
Tender coconut wine is fermented from a mix of tender coconut water and tender coconut kernel. Fruits (grape, pine apple, passion fruit etc.) and spices (cinnamon, clove, vanilla etc.) are added to make different varieties of wine like Mass wine, light wine and strong wine. The wine, after clarification and pasteurization, may be aged for better results.

The following is the test report from the Central Food Technical Research Institute, based on the sample provided by Sebastian. He said that his wine contains 12.25 per cent ethyl alcohol but does not contain potassium meta bisulphate and therefore sulphur dioxide content in the wine is also ruled out. The common method of preparation of wine is to add chemicals like potassium metabisulphite to prevent contamination by wild yeast and bacteria.

Tender coconut is bacterial free and hence there is no requirement of a preservative, Sebastian said. The farmer says he is prepared to procure tender coconut for Rs 10 when farmers are always complaining of unremunerative prices. “I need only two to three tender coconuts to produce one bottle of wine and cost of other ingredients are minimal.” Sebastian has informed the Kerala chief minister that he is willing to set up a factory to process 15,000 tender coconuts that could give employment to 350 people.

Provided he gets the right incentives, he is prepared to set up 20 such factories. He said when tender coconut is not available in sufficient quantities, he can continue running his factory by producing wine from jackfruit, pineapple, cashew and other fruits. If the product has to be exported, then a laboratory has to be set up in the factory premises itself for which he has sought the help of Coconut Development Board. The medicinal effects of tender coconut water is already known to Ayurveda.

In a study conducted by Trivandrum Medical College, it was found that tender coconut water when administered intravenously in gastroenteritis patients increased their absorption of potassium in the blood stream much higher than n administered with glucose saline, Sebastian said.

“With the abundance of tender coconuts and the exclusive patented technology to brew it into a unique wine, Kerala can make the product its USP in the tourism sector, if the state government had a re-look at its excise rules. With government support, we could make and import tender coconut wine, after buying tender coconuts from farmers' collectives,” Sebastian said.
Commodityonline.com