Hello everyone,
Last week, I shared about my visit to the boChe Bhumiputra estate in Wayanad, and the week before that, you got a peek into my visit to the Chellotte estate. This week, I want to share more about my visit to the estate I absolutely loved visiting on my trip to Wayanad – the Achoor estate, part of the Harrisons Malayalam Group.
In the bottom right corner, you catch a small glimpse of Mr. Sanjo S, the manager of the Achoor estate, who kindly showed me around.
Harrisons Malayalam Limited (HML) is one of the pioneers of corporate farming, with a history spanning over 150 years. It primarily produces rubber (about 9,000 tonnes p.a.), tea (about 20,000 tonnes p.a.), and pineapple (about 25,000 tonnes p.a.). The company also produces smaller quantities of areca nut, bananas, cardamom, coffee, cocoa, coconut, pepper, and vanilla, as well as limited quantities of organic tea and spices. Their operations are spread over 20 estates, 8 rubber factories, and 12 tea factories, along with several blending and processing units spread over the three South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. They produce both Orthodox and CTC teas for selling in both domestic and international markets.
HML is a part of the RP-SG and RPG Enterprises, one of the largest industrial groups in India. HML is also listed on the National, Bombay, and Cochin Stock Exchanges. I had read so much about HML, the numerous awards they win for their outstanding teas, not just in India but on foreign shores as well. I was so delighted to get an opportunity to visit one of their estates.
The estate and factory I visited – the Achoor Estate is in the Wayanad region of Kerala and it produces CTC teas.
The factory in Achoor has some great automation in place. I was especially fascinated by the baskets used to load up the withered leaves and take them further ahead in the manufacturing line to the next machine. The lines were labelled B, C, and D (the A line was shut), and so were the baskets. These overhead baskets would get loaded with the tea leaves and carried to the machine.
At the end of the factory visit, I cupped the teas in the lab. Cupping is, hands down, my favorite part of visiting a tea factory. Sensory evaluation and sensory science always fascinate me. As I had mentioned in the last newsletter, where I shared about the Tea Color Wheel, I had learned sensory evaluation and organoleptic testing in great detail when I was pursuing my graduate studies in dairy technology. After that, I got into wine and spirit tasting, then I got into coffee cupping, then some tea cupping, cacao tasting, I even led through a honey tasting spread, and more. I have delivered sensory masterclasses for diverse audiences, even in Kazakhstan!
After the cupping, Mr. Sanjo took me to the Wayanad Tea Museum. The museum is located within the estate premises and depicts the history of tea in the region, of the different estates, as well as of the Harrison-Malayalam Group. IT also holds now vintage artefacts held by the estate owners since the British times.
On the uppermost level of the museum, there is the tea bar and shop. You can cup the different teas produced by HML in different estates, you can get some food and tea, and unwind.
At the Tea Bar, I had this delicious butter tea. So far, I have always had butter tea in the Himalayas. But, this was in Wayanad! It had unsalted butter, black tea, black pepper, and some cardamom. It was very interesting. Having the tea, while overlooking the tea gardens, while a gentle breeze blew through the window, I can see the view and smell the tea as I write this!
Next, we went to the planter’s bungalow, again in the Achoor estate itself. It is managed by Hipnoetic Stays. It is a very, very beautiful property. I had my lunch there, in a secluded courtyard, surrounded by greenery.
After lunch, we went back to the factory. Every last Friday of the month, the factory employees assemble and celebrate the birthdays of everyone whose birthday falls in that month. Everybody writes a wish for something they would like to do as a group, puts it in a box, and on that day, a chit gets drawn. Whatever gets picked, the whole group will do. This time, they invited me to pick a chit. It felt so welcoming and wholesome to be included in the celebrations thus. The chit I picked said a group trip, so all the employees will get together and go on a trip – some team outing and team bonding! After the celebration, everybody is served tea and cake. I am at a loss for words to describe how awesome and sweet it was to be included in these celebrations.
Now that’s a great instance of how tea brings people together, isn’t it? The celebrations, the team spirit, and the joy show why HLM wins not just awards for producing outstanding teas, but also for being the Best Place to Work.
A corporate farm functions a bit differently than a traditional plantation with a planter and his team. On this Wayanad trip, all three estates I visited were corporate farming initiatives. All three had tourism interests, besides tea production, something that seems to be quite typical of this region. Everyone is trying to do their best to produce good tea and keep it sustainable – environmentally and economically.
My Wayanad trip was quite a revelation. I made new friends and connections, I learned new things, and came back richer experientially, with a lot of food for thought. I have always been a traveler. I haven’t found that feeling called home yet, but tea estates might be close, I guess.
We have some great new articles coming up, so stay tuned. Happy Weekend!
Also, if you would like to invest in Tea Journey, register your interest here. It is non-binding, but it would help me a lot in planning things for the future. Helps to know how many of our readers are interested, doesn’t it?
And lastly, have you read our new article about hosting tea meetups? If you haven’t, check it out here.
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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.
