A close to 5.5 hour drive from Bengaluru and I am in the beautiful hillside town of Chikkamagaluru. I have been here before but this time on the invitation of Kelachandra Coffee.
Checking into Kadur Club, a century old club land of coffee, restricted only to the planters community in the area was the perfect way to start this trip, thanks to the Kelachandra team. The club has retained its old world charm complete with animal trophies, tiger skins, bison heads and stags.
Visiting the Chandrapore Estate, we were welcomed and introduced to the leadership team. After a technology walkthrough on the various coffee production innovations that make their coffees globally acclaimed, we checked out their R&D lab and nursery. Heading to the Kuttinkhan Estate we saw the drying yard operations, understood the RFA-Certified estate practices, and also saw the labour lines.
What makes their coffees special is that they are high-range, shade-grown, handpicked coffee and it reflects in the taste. A visit to the Garigekhan Estate, and the coffee picking experience was a great way to understand the efforts of the workers too.
Water conservation initiatives, beekeeping & coffee synergy, and crop diversity and sustainable farming practices all make the brand like no other. A coffee cupping session and Q&A with the Kelachandra team, ensured that this trip had some great learnings too.
Read the full story that first appeared in The Global Indian here:
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