Partnership inquiries · pre-launch
Shade & Cherry is a US-based specialty coffee company sourcing single-estate coffee from Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Wayanad. We are actively building relationships with estates, exporters, cafes, and roasters ahead of our first lots landing in winter 2026.
Shade & Cherry is a specialty coffee company registered in Illinois, United States. Our founder, Aamir Sayeed, comes from two decades in enterprise consulting and is building the US side of the business from Bolingbrook, Illinois.
Our Origin Correspondent, Manu, is based in Wayanad and works with us on the ground in India — visiting estates, sitting with growers, and documenting the coffee at origin. When we introduce ourselves to an estate, Manu is usually the one who introduces us in person. Our approach is evidence-forward: we name the estate, we name the grower, and we back every claim with a data page tied to the lot number on the bag.
We are pre-launch. Our first US-roasted lots are targeted for winter 2026. This page exists to open conversations with the estates, exporters, cafes, and roasters we want to build the business with — from day one, not after launch.
Track A
We are looking to build long-term relationships with estates and exporters who produce specialty-grade Indian coffee. Below is what we are actively seeking and what we offer in return.
How to start
Send us a note at suppliers@shadeandcherry.com with your estate or company name, region, current lots available, and — if possible — a recent cupping score sheet. We will follow up with a request for evaluation samples (250–500g) at our cost.
WhatsApp · India (Manu Kadavunkal) +91 96565 86985
Track B
We are opening conversations with US cafes, roasters, and coffee bars interested in carrying single-origin Indian specialty coffee. Three ways to work with us:
Buy roasted, whole-bean or ground, for retail shelf or by-the-cup service. Origin-verified, estate-named, small-batch. Wholesale pricing on standing orders.
Buy the green lots directly and develop your own roast profile. We provide full origin documentation, cupping notes, and moisture / density data on every lot.
Work with us to co-develop a roast profile specific to your program — house espresso, filter blend, single-origin feature. We share cupping sessions and profile iterations.
How to start
Send us a note at wholesale@shadeandcherry.com with your cafe or roastery name, city, current program (espresso, filter, retail bag), and which of the three tracks above interests you. We will follow up with a call and, when available, evaluation samples.
Track C
Evidence-forward means calibrated palates and calibrated instruments, not our word for it. We are building a bench of freelance quality experts we can engage lot by lot, batch by batch. If you hold Q certification, cup at a professional level, physically grade green coffee, or develop roast profiles for a living, we would like to talk.
CQI-certified Q Arabica Graders based in India to cup green lots at origin before we buy. Independent scoring, honest defect notes, willingness to travel to estates or receive shipped samples. Priority hire.
CQI-certified Q Arabica Graders based in the US to cup the roasted product on a recurring cadence, catch roast profile drift, and validate batch-to-batch consistency. Priority hire.
Physical grading on arriving green lots: moisture content, water activity, density, screen size, defect count per 300g sample. US-based, freelance or through an import warehouse.
Experienced production roasters to help develop a repeatable roast curve per SKU with our toll roaster. Project-based engagement, per profile, with cupping calibration built in.
How to start
Send us a note at quality@shadeandcherry.com with your name, credentials (Q number, roasting background, cupping history), location, and which of the four roles fits you. Include indicative rates and availability. We respond to every inquiry.
India grows real specialty coffee. Estates in Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Wayanad have been producing shade-grown Arabica for over a century, under native canopies of pepper, cardamom, and fruit trees. The cup profiles — chocolate, brown sugar, red apple, cedar, jaggery — are distinct from the Ethiopian and Latin American origins that dominate US shelves.
The US market has not caught up. Indian coffee is largely absent from US specialty menus, and where it appears, it is rarely presented at the estate level with the traceability the beans deserve.
We are building Shade & Cherry to change that. If you are an estate, an exporter, a cafe, or a roaster who sees the same gap, we would like to talk.
Indian estates & exporters
suppliers@shadeandcherry.comUS cafes, roasters & wholesale
wholesale@shadeandcherry.comQ-graders & quality experts
quality@shadeandcherry.comLocation
Bolingbrook, Illinois
United States