KOLLAM: You may be familiar with cappuccino, bourbon, latte, espresso, and other coffee drinks. Now, add to this mix the unique ‘La Bae mushroom’ coffee, developed by Lalu Thomas and his wife Ancy Lalu in their native village of Thalavoor, in Kollam district. The couple started their food production company, Chef Bae, in 2020.
"We were in Dubai and other countries in the region for 15 years where I worked as a chef. We moved back to Kerala after the 2008 financial crisis cost me my job. We made the decision to launch mushroom soup powder when we chose to start a business in 2020. We realised, nonetheless, that it would not be practical. This is when the idea for the premium mushroom coffee hit," Lalu tells TNIE.
For two years, Lalu travelled to Wayanad and conducted his own research. The company joined a business incubator and developed its production technology with the assistance of the Kerala Agriculture University (KAU). “Early on, we were undecided on whether to make mushroom tea or coffee. We finally opted for coffee, as coffee seeds contain fewer chemical preservatives,’’ he says.
"Our premium mushroom coffee retails for Rs 450 in India. We also have significant demand for our product in the Middle East and Europe. Indian marketplaces also hold big potential, although they are currently centered in larger cities. However, we are confident that we can establish a strong presence in the Indian market since consumers here will not quickly give up their coffee or tea habits,’’ stresses Ancy.
La Bae mushroom coffee is 70% mushroom and 30% coffee. The raw materials include Arabica AAA coffee and several mushroom species such as oyster, milky, chaga, lion’s mane, and turkey tail. The mushrooms are disinfected in a solar oven (that Lalu built), after which they are combined with coffee in their production facility in Thalavoor.
The company received a 250kg order from Future Star Co, a food processing company based in Abu Dhabi. The district industrial department recently allocated Rs 10 lakh to the company, and many Indian firms are in touch, says Lalu. The scarcity of mushrooms, on the other hand, is the most serious problem. Despite a good relationship with farmers, they have often struggled to arrange the mushrooms for production.
“Our people regard mushroom as a premium vegetable, which is why we only have a limited supply in Kerala. We currently import mushrooms from Haryana and Odisha. To address this issue, we have decided to involve youngsters and housewives in mushroom production. We will train them. The strategy is in place, but execution will be critical,” he adds.