Most store-bought black pepper is picked when the berries are firm and green in color, for ease of harvest. But Aranya Black Pepper is given the time to slowly ripen on the vine, until it is deep red in color, and full of fruity complexity.

The Parameswaran family has been growing pepper for over 35 years, with the help of the indigenous Adiyar, Kurichiyan and Kurma communities. They grow wild varieties of pepper, transplanted from the surrounding forest.

Perched on the foothills of the Western Ghats—one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth — the Parmeswaran family farm is home to elephants, tigers, countless birds, insects, and fungus. This biodiversity creates a rich and layered ecosystem, which is reflected in the pepper’s complex tasting notes.

Every year, after the monsoons have receded, the berries ripen, and harvest season begins. The pepper pods are harvested by hand, carefully graded, and dried in the shade to retain their essence. Like nice wine, with a fruity heat in the back.