Coffee is a popular beverage enjoyed by people all around the world. People often enjoy coffee not only for its taste but also for the energy boost it provides, making it a common morning ritual for many. Chikkamagalur, a city in Karnataka, India, is known for its lush greenery and coffee plantations in the surrounding areas. Many coffee estates in and around Karnataka offer guided tours for visitors about the coffee plantation and harvesting process.

Nazareth School students from grades X and XI, along with staff, paid a visit to the Central Coffee Research Institute on Oct. 11, 2023. Sister Hilda Lobo and three staff members accompanied 45 pupils to the office.

Central Coffee Research Institute provides students with a living history. Dr. L. C. Coleman, Director of Agriculture, founded the Mysore Coffee Experimental Station in 1925, which is now known as the Central Coffee Research Institute. According to history, the seeds of the Indian coffee industry were seeded around 1600 by a Muslim saint named Baba Budan, who is believed to have transported productive coffee seeds into the vicinity on his way back from the Mecca Pilgrimage. Baba Budan is claimed to have planted seven coffee seeds at his hermitage in Chikkamagalur, Karnataka’s Chandragiri highlands. In the course of the 40 years, coffee farming advanced tremendously.

Most of the students from Nazareth School are cultivators of coffee but have little expertise in the industry. Researchers on the farm demonstrated the weather conditions, demand, mud type, fertilizer, and disease/fungus treatments, among other things. The students gained more knowledge of the sector by learning about the specific challenges and characteristics of coffee farming.

This knowledge will be beneficial for the students while they live and work on the coffee farm. Overall, it was an overwhelming and rewarding experience for students as well as instructors