Understanding Shade-Grown Coffee
A producer of high quality Robusta since 1927, Mattel Estate champions this variety’s natural tasting notes with a rare balance of flavour that results from thoughtful cultivation! Our estate is situated in the rolling hills of Wayanad, a picturesque district in the north eastern part of Kerala.
In a global scenario where Robusta coffee is primarily sun-grown, Wayanad Robusta stands out for being grown under the shade. This is largely possible due to the region’s tropical temperate climate, lush green landscape and abundance of labour.
Like any other plant, coffee plants too need sunshine. However, too much of it can trigger stress responses which impact the taste of the cherries produced. Sun-growing also depletes the nutrients present in soil, as plants grown in this environment frequently require fertilisers and fungicides. The inevitable result is environmental degradation.
Sun-growing has commonly been used to speed up production. Robusta plants in most countries are grown using this method, at the cost of quality and taste. This has largely contributed to the negative criticism levelled against the flavours of Robusta coffee.
On the other hand, the presence of shade trees acts as a boon. These trees nourish the soil and protect it from erosion, along with providing lots of nutrients to the plants. Growing plants thrive in harmony with the ecosystem, and this helps prevent the loss of biodiversity. Mattel Estate is dotted with a stunning landscape of silver oak trees and areca palms.
India holds the distinction of growing all its coffee under the shade! In most countries, this is either not feasible or is only reserved for Arabica plants. Important coffee growing bastions around the world- such as Brazil and Vietnam- are reeling from the disastrous effects of climate change. Even if they wish to, they cannot easily switch from sun-grown coffee to shade-grown coffee, as the latter is highly labour-intensive and requires a certain climate and terrain not available to them.
India, in this regard, is truly blessed. Growing coffee under the shade allows farmers to extract the best of flavour and protect the environment. Indian coffee is the future of coffee.