From Mysore Comes A New Artisanal Coffee With A Royal Stamp

The three-month-old House of Berunda is the erstwhile Mysore royal family’s entrepreneurial venture into the burgeoning coffee culture in India. Helmed by Rajkumari Jayapalashri Anil, daughter of Her Highness Maharajkumari Meenakshi Devi Wadiyar and granddaughter of His Highness Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last ruling Maharaja of Mysore, the brand wants to champion not just Mysore’s but Karnataka’s rich coffee legacy. As the founder of The House of Berunda, the Rajkumari positions the Berunda coffees as a blend of heritage, family and contemporary coffee culture. “We realised that selling coffee is one thing, but selling coffee with a story behind it is very different. It gives the coffee a soul, and what better way to take our family’s history, Mysore’s culture and our heritage out there than through something people can actually sit down and enjoy?” she shares.

The name Berunda comes from the mythical Gandaberunda, a double-headed eagle that is the royal insignia of the Wadiyar dynasty and the official emblem of Karnataka. “We are taking something that belongs to our heritage and giving it a new expression. The symbol reminds us of where we come from, and with House of Berunda, we are keen to take that story forward,” Rajkumari Anil adds. The coffee beans are sourced from estates in Chikmagalur, Coorg, and the BR Hills, then processed, packaged, and made available for retail under five collections: Drona, Arjuna, Gajendra, Airavata, and Padmaja. The collection names are an homage to the palace elephants of Mysore and the Dasara celebrations. The House of Berunda’s premium coffees compete with other homegrown artisanal coffee brands.

“Luxury has never really been about how much something costs. It is about the quality of what you are holding, the way it is presented, the story behind it, the experience of opening it and eventually sitting down and enjoying it. For me, bringing our heritage and that sense of occasion into those little everyday moments is what luxury should feel like,” explains Anil about how The House of Berunda is positioned. This perspective is derived from her belief that luxury is becoming personal rather than being about objects that are expensive or exclusive. There is a demand to understand the backstory and background. There is also a much greater appreciation for craftsmanship and for things that have a sense of authenticity. As patrons of art and culture, the Wadiyar family understands the importance of supporting talent. “I think the way we look at patronage today has to change. Young artists and creators are looking at heritage very differently. They are taking it and interpreting it in their own way. If we can give them the support and the platform, while allowing them to remain who they are, then our culture doesn’t just remain something we preserve. It continues to live and evolve,” Anil says.

Even with coffee, the way it is approached by modern India is very different. “We need to always remember that India has no shortage of stories. We have centuries of art, culture, craftsmanship, food, textiles and traditions, and I think the world is beginning to look at these attributes with a different kind of appreciation,” says Anil. The future of Indian luxury and The House of Berunda is embedded in taking what is genuine and presenting it in a way that speaks to today’s India and to the world.