Coffee

Amidst the rolling Sahyadri ranges of the Western Ghats, in the vicinity of Chickmagalur are the Coffee plantations belonging to Balanoor, extending over an area of 600 hectares. High elevation (900 to 1400 meters. MSL), copious rainfall (300 cm p.a.), rich deep soil and evergreen shade have helped nurture the coffees.

The company grows Arabica and Robusta coffee. Of the Arabica variety approximately 80 per cent is converted into washed coffee, called "Arabica Parchment"; and the remaining 20 per cent is prepared by the natural method and is referred to as "Cherry". Of the Robusta Variety ? 65 per cent is washed coffee which is called "Robusta Parchment" and the rest is prepared as Robusta Cherry. Our annual production of coffee is around 500 Tons.

The annual production is increasing as we are systematically replanting old plants and filling in vacancies with better quality and high yielding varieties.

Attention is paid to every aspect of picking, fermenting, washing, drying and curing. At Balanoor, shade grown Arabica and Robusta undergo natural fermentation. We have a modern, 'State of the Art' processing and curing facility for preparing quality coffees. We store our coffees in our own warehouse to maintain traceability.

Through the process of pulping, fermenting and washing, care is taken to ensure that the surrounding environment is not damaged in any way as all our estates have efficient water treatment tanks.

Technical Specifications of Coffee Production

Division	Arabica : Chennakkal, Vontekad, Bettadakumari, A Division Robusta : Yelemadalu, Kotordie, Kogrie, Achuvan, MS Robusta
Region of Growth	Koppa Taluk, Chikmagalur District, Karnataka State, India
Altitude	900 to 1400 meter above MSL.
Annual Rainfall	245 cm to 300 cm
Temperature Range	15 - 35 degrees C
Variety of Coffee	Arabica : Arabica SL 795, SL 9, Old Kent, Sachimore and Cauvery Robusta : Old Robusta, Robusta C x R
Type of Shade	Low / High Shade of Silver Oak, Dadap and Jungle Trees
Birds and animals seen on the Plantation	Birds: Peacock, Woodpecker, Laggar Falcon, Jungle Fowl, Sparrows, Crows, Minivet, Bulbul, Flower Pecker, Myna, Owl, Indian Parakeet, Wild Pigeon, and migratory birds. Animals: Bison, Sambar, Deer, Barking Deer, Porcupine, Wild Boar, Wild Goat, Fox, Hare.
Other Crops	Pepper(30T), Areca(40T), Cardamom and Vanilla
Annual Production	Robusta - over 375 Tons Arabica - over 130 Tons. This will depend on the cropping cycle.
Crop Season	January to July
Compost	Organic compost is applied @ 5 tons/acre once in 5 years.
Harvesting Pattern	Selective picking - 2 rounds of selective picking based on strain, elevation and division for differentiation.
Processing Method	Natural Fermenting + Aqua Washing + Underwater Soaking + Drying on Trough + Sun Drying + Shade Drying on 2nd and 3rd day between 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Coffee is initially dried on raised platforms for couple of days.
Equipment	Our wet mills have McKinnon and Pinhalense Pulper, green bean separator and aqua washer. Coffee is cured and graded in our own curing works - Kotordie Coffee Curing Works (KCCW)
Labour and Social Obligation	Provides labour with housing, schooling, cr?che and medical facilities. They are also provided with social benefits like maternity, sick leave and other benefits.
Sustainable cultivation practice	We have our own effluent treatment tanks, practices ecological and nature friendly cultivation package. Preserve natural forest as a part of the plantations. We have built check dams and grown forest cover in ravines to prevent soil erosion and to conserve water.

Seeing is believing

We encourage our customers to visit our plantations which are situated on the picturesque slopes of the Sahyadri ranges of the Western Ghats in Chickmagalur, South India. This helps our guests gain knowledge of our practices and explain it to their customers & also experience our plantation life style. This exposes our roasters to the sustainable cultivation practices that we follow and get an insight into the welfare measures provided to our workers like housing, medical, cr?ches and other facilities.

Workers' Quarters	Hospital for Workers	Crèche for Children of Workers
School for Children of Workers	Workers' Canteen