A trip to Nescafe Coffee Demo and Training Centre – Recently I was invited to the Nescafe Coffee Demo and training lab in Coorg. The idea was to show us the process of how coffee is grown and processed. The trip was memorable beyond compare – to see first-hand what goes into making that perfect cup of coffee – was mind-blowing!
I don’t know about you but when I see that red Nescafe cup, I start humming that song. I got Pap para paa paa raa raa. In fact much to my family’s amusement I have been singing that for 3 days. That’s one jingle which is ingrained in us, just like Nescafe has been making our mornings from as long as I can remember, we have been humming the jingle for as long as I can remember. Recently I was invited to the Nescafe Coffee Demo and training lab in Coorg. The idea was to show us the process of how coffee is grown and processed and I came back so enthralled!
Pap para paa paa raa raa
Pap para paa paa raa raa
Hey naya is dil mein ik tarana
Mujha ko badalo se unche unche hai jaana
Ho shuru har din aise
Ho shuru har pal aise
Nescafe nescafe!
Pap para paa paa raa raa
Pap para paa paa raa raa
Hey naya is dil mein ik tarana
At the Nescafe Coffee training centre Mr. Naveen Kumar, Supplier Development Manager took us through a very interesting presentation on how they train and help the coffee farmers in getting the best produce as well as things beyond that.
The Nescafe Plan – Beyond the cup initiative was launched 4 years ago and has helped around 2000 farmers till date and the number continues to increase. The program is operational in multiple locations like Coorg, Chickmaglur, Kallepata Kerala and Chotadi in Tamil Nadu.
Nescafe believes that the pillars of sustainable coffee farming are
- Responsible Farming
- Responsible Production & Supply
- Responsible Consumption.
As a part of the Responsible Farming, comes the first step of Nescafe Plan which broadly covers
- Providing training and technical assistance to farmers on better coffee farming practices, how to manage waste, soil and water conservation.
- Soil Testing – which is important to understand and optimise the fertiliser use.
- Educating them on environment friendly methods of cultivation
- Optimum methods for drying of coffee beans
- Getting them competitive prices for high quality produce
Apart from the above Nestle also runs a number of Community Service initiatives for the farmers and their families. The idea is to make the life of a coffee farmer better and this can be done only if there is over all growth is what Nestle believes in.
Some of the CSR initiatives that are run are
- Clean, drinking water in schools
- Free medical health checks and distribution of medicines
- Sanitation facilities
- Supporting education for kids by supplying stationary and other needs
- Scholarships to children
To understand more about the coffee growing process we also took a walk in one of the plantations, along with the farmer and owner Mr.Murali.
Through the tour we were able to witness all stages of coffee growing from bud to flower to bean and then how it ripens and splits to give the coffee bean ready for drying
And what was really heartwarming was after all of this, Nestle doesn’t tie down the farmers to Nescafe. If at any given day, the farmer finds a better price for his produce he/she is free to go sell it elsewhere.
From the plantation tour we moved on to the coffee tasting lab called Green Coffee Sensory Labs. An interesting concept where each batch of coffee is tested for aroma and taste profile in a process called cupping. These labs help coffee suppliers and farmers who can determine cup quality, moisture and defect analysis of their coffee bean at these facilities. This is also a step by Nestle to enable the farmer more as traditionally the testing is all done at the factories away from the plantations.
The tasting is done by trained professionals and is highly technical. However, we did try our hands at it and boy it was so much fun.
Here are videos of the expert taster showing how to taste the coffee
I had a great time in the #NescafePlan tour. Where I learnt how the coffee is brought from seed to cup, what is the story beyond the cup. The story of how our mornings are made better. And it was so heartwarming to learn how Nestle is committed to make every better for the farmer and for the coffee.
Hope you enjoyed reading it too. Because
Ho shuru har din aise
Ho shuru har pal aise
Nescafe nescafe!
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