Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491365
44 STiR tea & coffee industry international "We go one step further. We plant five jungle trees per acre. That's why it looks like a jungle. This benefits a variety of animals on the estate like the Indian gaur (Bison), barking deer, sambar, hare and pythons that call this home along with many insects and birds. The leaves that fall from the trees, by natural process become mulch and nour- ish the plants," he explains. "Water is alternately over abundant during the monsoons and then scarce during the dry season. Being on a hill, water flows away quickly and we have to preserve as much as we can when it is available," Rohan Kuriyan explains. "We practice rainwater harvesting on a large scale by diverting the rainwater into tanks, dams, water collecting pits, trenches along the roads, and inside the estate. We actually retain more water than is used in irrigating the plants and processing the cof- fee. We do not preach sustainability – we live it as a way of life. Some people may think it's frugal or miserly, but for us it is having and using only what we require." he said. On a tour of the estate general manager P.M Chengappa takes me to Kogrie Field No. 3, a 12-acre section where good husbandry has increased the yield from 4,398 to 9,557 kilos of robusta in four years. Beans are harvested December through April in two rounds 10 to 15 days apart starting as soon as 85% of the crop is ripe. Continued, Page 46 Swift water under a dense canopy of native trees shading the Harley Estate. Harley Coffee Estate in Karnataka, India. Ashok Kuriyan checks inventory at Balanoor warehouse and coffee drying factory. Photos by Dan Bolton Karnataka Coffee Regions Bababudangiris: Full-bodied Arabicas at 1,000-1,500 m elevation with rainfall of 1,750-2,200 mm Biligiris: Full-bodied Arabicas grown at 1,500-2,000 m elevation with rainfall of 1,100-1,200 mm Chikmagalur: Arabica and robusta at 700-1,200 m elevation with rainfall of 1,000-4,500 mm Coorg: Lush plantations of robusta and Arabica at 750-1,100 meters elevation with rainfall of 1,000-2,500 mm Manjarabad: Robusta and Arabica is grown at 900-1,100 meters elevation with rainfall of 1,000-2,500 mm Araku valley (Andhra Pradesh): KARNATAKA KERALA TAMIL NADU KARNATAKA KERALA TAMIL NADU Bababudangiris Biligiris Chikmagalur Coorg Manjarabad Wayanad Travancore