Attikan
Chikmagalur

The name Attikan, or White Mountain, probably comes from the fact that the area is always shrouded in mist. The farm was acquired by the Sangameshwar Company in the 1960s. It was previously owned by a Scottish man, Randolf Morris, who discovered it in 1888. His wife, who was injured by a buffalo, managed the plantation for many years and then left it to her son, A.E.C. Morris, who was a friend of the founder of Sangameshwar Coffee Estates, K.S. Vaidyanathan. The farm is spread over 340 acres or 138 hectares and the varieties grown are Sln 9, Sln 795, Catimor and Old Kents. The coffee trees grow in the shade and the fertilisers used are natural (cherry pulp, coconut fibre, manure, fish...). The plantation's employees are provided with housing, a medical centre, a crèche and access to drinking water. A government school is located nearby, making it easy for the children to attend. Most of the workers belong to a community called the Sholigas, who have lived on the plantation for several generations. When it comes to harvesting, the plantation is divided into plots and the pickers go through each tree three times, harvesting only when it is fully ripe. Harvested, crushed, fermented and washed, the cherries are then dried in the sun either on African beds or on a brick terrace. Large vats are used to separate the batches. The farm also produces oranges to complement the coffee.