Bengaluru, July 29 -- Tiptur, a small Karnataka town roughly 150km from Bengaluru, is known more for its copra, or dried coconut, than anything else. While coconuts are the mainstay, Tiptur's Kaveri has slowly been building a reputation, of late.

Not the river, but a hen.

Jet black, soft beige and every warm-toned shade in between, Kaveri is the dominant breed at organic food company Akshayakalpa's Tiptur farm. Around 400 Kaveris roam free on 5- and 10-acre poultry zones in the Tiptur campus. Their cousins, the Sonali, Kadaknath and Gramapriya breeds, rule other Akshayakalpa farms.

The Kaveris are a pampered lot. Their bedding is soft, with coconut husk spread across the ground. They lay their eggs in private nooks, dust-bathe or roll ...