Crystal Valley Estate is situated at an altitude of 985 meters in the Biligiri village of Somwarpet taluk in North Coorg. The steep North Easterly Facing slope of the estate is ideally suited for growing coffee. The rocky terroir paired with an average rainfall of 70 inches/ year and hot summers with windy and heavy showers during monsoons adds to the distinct character and flavor to the coffees nurtured at the Crystal Valley Estate.
The Estate was bought by Mr. I.M. Mandappa, who was working for Consolidated Coffee (now TATA coffee). In the late 50’s he was working at the Hunsur coffee curing works and Kushalnagar Coffee curing works in his capacity as general manager. The property when purchased was mostly jungle. The native trees were preserved to provide much-needed shade and fruits for the large variety of birds and mammals. The undergrowth was cleared to make way for the coffee plantation. The plantation work started with coffee plants being sourced from Coffee Board and neighboring estates mainly Selections and Cannancadoo Kents. As time went by new varieties were introduced, mainly to counter the incidence of white stem borer and leaf rust. After the demise of I.M. Mandappa, the estate was taken over by his son Mr. Mac Machaiah, who was then working in a kibbutz in Israel. On his return, a lot of Selection 795 and 6 were inter-planted with Brazilian and Yellow Catuai. The 25-acre Crystal Valley Estate is to this day run and managed by Mr. Mac, who with his vast knowledge and experience gained at Israel and more though with his gentle charm and warmth that radiates through the coffee estate, nurtures and produces some of the finest coffees.
Flora and Fauna: on the estate consists of wild fig and other ficus varieties along with indigenous trees of the district, giving homes to a lot of arboreal birds and animals. Birds found are Hornbills, Drongo, Green Pigeon, Woodpeckers, Bulbuls, Crow pheasant, Shrikes, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Hill Mynas, Flowerpeckers, Sunbirds, Jungle fowls, etc.
Arboreal animals are Civet cats, Flying Squirrel, Fruit bats, Toddy cats, etc. Animals found at the estate are wild boars, Jackal, Porcupine, Barking deer, and rarely, Elephants, which avoid the Crystal Valley Estate due to its magnificent incline and rocky terrain ideal for growing coffee.
Soil Type: Soils of the estate are of a heterogeneous profile and consist of lateritic debris found in different stages of weathering and lateralization. The valleys and slopes have fertile red loamy soils that are suitable for the cultivation of coffee.
Varieties of Coffees: Arabica- Yellow Catuai, Catuai, Selection 9, Sln 795, and Brazillian Catuai are the main varieties grown on the estate. The estate also grows a small amount of Robusta of the Peredenia and CxR variety. Harvest: Harvest season begins in the month of November all the way up to January, wherein the estate follows 3-4 rounds of selective handpicking of the ripe cherries.
Post-Harvest Drying and Processing: Most of the Arabica coffees produced at the Crystal Valley Estate are wet-processed, Semi-wet / Honey processed and only a select few coffees from our best single varietal blocks, such as the Yellow Catuai are dry-processed under optimal conditions along with a whole lot of love and warmth to give you the finest tasting coffees.
