Steven Rebello
The coffee crisis of recent years has turned out to be perhaps the greatest challenge the industry has faced. However, in the midst of this crisis, I have come across plantations, which have not just adapted, but weathered the storm, and come out in flying colours! Interestingly, some of the plantations which have impressed me immensely, are owned by people for whom coffee turns out to be a side business. It has been my endeavour to locate some of these estates, interact with their owners, find out the secrets of their success, and share what I've learned with the plantation community.
The first plantation I have profiled is Gokul Estate. The estate is jointly owned by the Pai brothers, who own the leading estate supplies company BHV Pai, in Chikmagalur. Although all three brothers are equal partners, the estate is managed by Mr. Prakash Pai. Located just 12 km from Chikmagalur, Prakash visits the estate every day, after a bustling day in the town, catering to customers at BHV Pai. All areas of management are handled by Prakash, except marketing, for which he consults his other brothers, something which is not difficult to understand, considering the fact that Gokul estate, is, for the Pai's no ordinary `side business'. It is a cash-cow! Generating on an average, more than 750 kg per acre, Gokul estate is no ordinary estate. Wanting to know more about how these estates work, I invited myself for a cup of coffee at tea time, one evening during 2005-2006 season, to see what made the Pai estate tick.
I was warmly greeted by Mr. Prakash Pai, Mr. Dinesh Pai and Mr. J.V. Baptist, consultant, and visiting manager, who happened to visit on that day, while all were painstakingly overlooking the garbling on the drying yard, something, Prakash tells me, he does every day, during the picking season. The `just ripe' picked cherries gleamed boldly in the evening light, while the enthusiastic workers happily separated the ripe from the green with a warm chatter, and a subtle hum.
I had just about an hour and a half of daylight left, so I was keen to visit the field. Gokul Estate is located on the foothills of the Mulayangiri Peak, in the Kabinahalli region of Chikmagalur. The majestic mountain offers it's indomitable presence in the distance, as if it were a sentry posted there to ensure all goes right. Prakash guided me through the well manicured fields, and told me that this year, they were picking 650 kgs. per acre, an impressive figure, considering that this year, most harvests in Chikmagalur area have been considerably down. Unfortunately, I couldn't visit during the peak of the season, and got to see the estate during a time when the second round of picking was going on, so most of the coffee was picked. However, what was impressive was the amazing condition of the plants even after picking, most of them already pushing out new buds, getting ready for the nearest blossom shower.
Later, over a fine cup of coffee, Prakash explained to me various facts, procedures, and nuances of his estate, and answered my probing questions, all of which I have described in the fact data-sheet below.
DATA SHEET
Geographical and Climatic Parameters:
Average facing: East
Rainfall: 65" to 70"
Rainfall Distribution: Equal South-West Monsoon, and
North-East Monsoon
Water Sources: Perennial Altitude: 3500 to 3800 Temperature: Summer: 27° to 34°C,
Winter: 15° to 18° C Soil Type: Red, loamy
Plant Material:
Arabica Selection 795
Cauvery (moderate area)
Side Crops: Pepper - inter-planted, Orange-inter-planted, Areca - Inter-planted
Inputs:
N-P-K per year, per acre: 90:105:110 (4 splits depending on climatic conditions)
20 Lorry loads compost per year (prepared on estate) 1% Bordeaux mixture - 1 spray per year
Hexaconazole- (Funota), (Systemic Fungicide) - 1 spray
Nutrient Foliar Sprays per year - 3
Weeding: Chemical Irrigation: None
Cost of cultivation: Rs. 25000 per acre.
Output:
Coffee Average: 750 kg per acre (over 10 years) Pepper:
Moderate to small crop
Processing:
Wet processing, with 3 disc pulper Aqua Washer
Fermentation: Dry - 18 to 20 Hrs (before washing)
Wet - 3 hours (underwater soaking)
Coffee Attributes:
Pulping out-turn (Ripe to Wet Parchment) : 45% to 47%
Pulping out-turn (Ripe to Dry Parchment) : 22.5% to 23%
Curing Out-turn (Parchment to bean): 83.5%
`A' Grade: above 70%
Recognition and marketing:
Estate gets Rs. 150 to 200 more than the prevailing price per bag of Arabica Parchment.
Passed IIIyCafe selection process, but has not sold to IllyCafe yet.
Conclusion
How do I sum up a plantation like this? Well, on the Pai estate, I realized that sometimes, knowledge, hard work and a great deal of luck are important tools for success. But the energy to drive these tools comes from a greater force - Passion.
