Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491365
42 STiR tea & coffee industry international A glance at their credentials hints at their potential: Rohan Kuriyan is manager of corporate affairs at Balanoor Plantations & In- dustries Ltd. A commerce graduate with an accounting and tax background from Bangalore, Kuriyan worked three and a half years at Ernst & Young while pursuing his accounting course. His job was in the direct tax line concentrating on interna- tional tax laws, structuring projects, Indian corporate tax compliance and advisory. In 2012 he decided to join the 76-year old family plantation and is now working in the field learning the business from the ground up. Chandini D. Maneesh is director of marketing & administration at Classic Group and a partner in Classic Synergy. An MBA graduate of the Martin Whit- man school of management at Syracuse University majoring in entrepreneurship & marketing, she earned a degree in engineering in Bangalore. She worked more than two years in the marketing and advertising industry before joining Classic Group. In 2008 she spent six weeks in South Africa training underprivileged entrepreneurs. Shravan D.S. is a fifth generation coffee planter and the c.e.o & executive director of Classic Synergy. He holds a Masters Degree in International Marketing from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland and a masters degree in coffee eco- nomics & science from the University of Trieste & Udine, Italy. After working in sales and marketing in the United Kingdom for two years, he joined the family busi- ness in 2006. He is experienced in the field of specialty coffee plantation, trading, exports, retailing, and cafés. His expertise is also in the field of high-end gourmet food and Alcobev retailing. He also actively participates in conducting the Indian Barista Championship and other coffee promotional activities in India. Coffee in Karnataka Balanoor Plantations & Industries, where Kuriyan is manager of corporate affairs and the Harley Estate, where Shravan is partner and c.e.o., are situated in Karnataka, the birthplace of India coffee. These highlands in South Central India are blessed with rich soil and a forest canopy sustained by 120 inches of rain. The region is known as Baba- budangiris the namesake of Baba Budan, a 17th-century Sufi revered by Muslims and Hindus alike. The legendary saint on his return from a pilgrimage to Mecca smuggled seven varieties of coffee beans from Mocha, Yemen and planted them in the Chan- dragiri hills. Shravan, above, at right Harley's power and irrigation pump house. The hills of Karnataka state are the birthplace of Indian coffee.