Office - 1927
Elysian- a Greek word associated with beauty, creativity and peace. There could be no better word to describe the place where the ambitions of our forefather first took flight.
This quaint structure that you behold was Mattel Estate’s first office, built in 1927. It was also our first home, where countless hours were spent building the legacy that prevails to this day. Over here, everything was started from scratch.
We have left the structure as it was nine decades ago. The stone steps, the wooden doors and windows carry the imprint of the past- and are the foundation for the future. Just as devotees preserve the temple they worship at, we have preserved the office as a benchmark for our coming generations. To care for, to
pass on.
Divinity dwells in each corner of these walls. This is where it all began, and will continue.
Farmers
– Our Backbone
Everyone has a purpose in their life. Something that they wake up for each day. For our farmers, working at our coffee estate is more than just an occupation. They are an integral part of our family.
Farmers of Mattel Estate are indigenous people, hailing from various tribes in and around Wayanad. An innate connection with nature has been deeply rooted in them for generations.
There is an unspoken understanding among them, an intuitive ability to gauge the tiniest changes in the weather. They could take one look at the sky and know it is about to rain. They could take one glance at a cherry and know whether it’s ripe or not. Taking care of the estate is something that comes naturally to them.
They nurture the young coffee plants like our own children, from the time they are saplings. They watch them sprout green berries which turn a rich, dark shade of red with the passage of time. It is after a long wait that the best time of the year arrives- harvest season!
The winter season brings with it the fruit of everyone’s hard work. Together, they work in perfect harmony as they pluck coffee berries. It is like a festival, an annual celebration; and the feeling of euphoria is palpable! Their fingers move deftly, as they go about each task joyfully, with a melody on their lips. Singing folk songs, they celebrate in unison.
With each harvest, they reach a step closer to fulfilling our dreams. This is their livelihood- the means of their sustenance, as well as a brighter future for their families. It is the culmination of relentless efforts by countless people.
Our farmers have taught us that nature is what sustains us all throughout our lives, every waking moment- from the air we breathe and the water we drink, to the crops that fill our stomachs. Hence, we do our bit each day, to give back as much as we can to them. Our farmers have been our backbone from the beginning, and will always continue to be.
Bean to Cup – From the Estate of Mattel
Around 3-4 years after Robusta coffee saplings are planted, white flowers bloom. Once they wither and fall off, coffee cherries start to appear in clusters of bright green. They take 9-11 months to ripen, becoming ready to pluck once they turn crimson red and can separate easily from the stem.
Selective hand picking ensures quality and precision. Under natural processing, our cherries are dried and raked under the sun for a few weeks until the moisture content drops to 11%- after which they are stored carefully,
Hulling machines remove the entire remaining husk of dried coffee cherries. Beans are graded and sorted based on size and weight, before being examined carefully for imperfections and flaws.
Roasting transforms green coffee beans into a rich, aromatic dark roast. They are then packaged and sold as roasted coffee beans, or grinded into a fine texture and sold as ground coffee, ready to be brewed!