Hello everyone,
A few days ago, I visited the Wayanad region in the South Indian state of Kerala. The word “Wayanad” is derived from “Vayal Nadu”, meaning “The Land of the Paddy Fields”. It stands tall with an altitude of 700 to 2100 MASL. The region produces some amazing tea, coffee, pepper, cardamom, and more. I was in the region to meet tea producers, see how things are in the field, and learn more about producing tea. Wayanad is quite the tourism hub, tea tourism to be precise. A lot of tea estates in Wayanad offer everything from exciting adventure tourism to laid-back staycation options.
During my time in Wayanad, I visited three estates, and it was such a great experience that I knew I had to share about them with all of you. The first estate I visited was the Chellotte Estate – a plantation with social and spiritual roots.
Founded in 1927 by the Jesuit Fathers at the Diocese of Kozhikode, the Chellotte Estate is located in Chundale, in Wayanad. Most plantations in India were founded and owned by British individuals or companies. But not Chellotte. The Diocese of Calicut was very active in the mountainous and otherwise isolated region of Wayanad. They found that a lot of farming families migrated to Wayanad from Southern and Central Kerala, from areas like Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Thrissur, driven by poverty and lack of opportunities there. The Chellotte Estate was established to provide work, land, and dignity to these migrant families. At the estate, these families found not just a stable source of income working on the land but also a welcoming community, guided by the principles of solidarity, social justice, and Christian cooperation.
Today, the estate produces orthodox tea from about 20 hectares of land allocated to tea cultivation. Coffee is currently their main crop, with about 500 hectares of land allocated to it. Besides, it also produces areca nut, cardamom, and pepper.
Like most estates, leaf pluckings are collected twice a day, at 12 noon and 4 PM. Tractors collect the plucked leaves and take them to the tea factory. Chellotte produces about 14 different grades of orthodox black tea.
The leaves are taken to the factory where they get transformed to the fragrant, stimulating orthodox tea.
The estate is home to Kerala’s largest go-kart and offers several adventure options like a zip-line, zip-cycle, VR rides, roller coaster. It has some great bungalows and huts for tourists.
The pictures show how beautiful the place is, don’t they?
Staying at the estate and seeing everything first-hand made me realize something. The tourists visit Wayanad to experience living among pristine tea estates, but little do they realize the challenges a tea producer faces – climate change, pests, labor issues, whatnot. The tourists go back feeling rejuvenated and happy to have had an adventurous holiday, close to nature. They have created beautiful memories and have learned a little more about where their cup of tea comes from. The estate gets additional income that often helps cross-subsidize tea production. This is often a lifeline for tea estates in the face of the countless challenges they face every day.
While at Chellotte, I also saw cardamom being harvested. It is an extremely labor-intensive, challenging task to harvest cardamom. Cardamom pods grow at the base of the plant, requiring the labor, usually women, to squat and pluck them.
I woke up to mornings where the mist clings to these tea bush-lined slopes. After years among these leaves, I am still humbled by what I cannot fully know. Each morning, watching pickers move through rows with an intimacy I have studied but never mastered, I am reminded that tea reveals itself slowly—in the way frost touches certain bushes first, how altitude shapes character in ways no manual captures.
This estate has taught me that expertise isn’t mastery; it is recognizing the profound complexity in each flush, each season’s whisper. I am perpetually a student here, wonderstruck by mysteries that deepen rather than diminish with understanding.
Next week, I will tell you more about the next estate I visited. So, stay tuned!
Don’t forget to share the stories with your friends, family, colleagues, or anyone who you feel would enjoy reading them.
Yours in tea,
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Until next time.
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Bhavi Patel
Bhavi Patel, known as Banjaran Foodie, is a distinguished tea and coffee expert with a background in dairy technology and brand building. As a trusted writer for renowned publications including Perfect Daily Grind, Barista, and STiR Magazines, she combines scientific expertise with storytelling to explore specialty beverages.
