Coffee, Coorg and avocado
The journey from Bengaluru to Coorg is for photo albums. You are likely to spot elephants and other animals if you get lucky. The travel time of seven hours takes you through the Western Ghats, where you also cross Ramanagara, the location where Bollywood director Ramesh Sippy shot the famous Sholay. But, there’s more to it than ‘Kitne aadmi the?’
When you reach the Cottabetta Bungalow, one of the most googled vacation homes in Coorg, you can’t resist diving straight into the scrumptious Kodava cuisine. The chefs at this 140-year-old colonial bungalow will instruct you to not venture out without assistance once evening falls. You wouldn’t want to crash a leopard birthday party, right?
Popularly called the Scotland of India, Coorg is where some of the finest coffee ripens by the rays of the winter sun. But this hill station is now also home to one of the healthiest and most Insta-famous fruits—avocado. This lush-green hill station is now witnessing an avocado revolution.
India’s tropical climate and mid-to-higher elevation areas, such as tea and coffee-growing regions, offer immense potential for cultivating the fruit. Ajay TG, General Manager, Westfalia Fruit India, says, “India’s northern hemisphere seasonality complements African and South American avocado seasons.
This gives avocado cultivators lucrative opportunities for both domestic consumption and exports. We plan to see India as a self-sustained avocado-producing nation with year-round availability of local varieties.”
Apart from Coorg, some potential avocado-growing areas in India are Chilmangalur, Sakleshpur, Wayanad, Nilgiris, Valaparai, Kodaikanal, Munnar, Idukki and Araku. Fun fact: Avocado never ripens on the tree. It ripens only when you pluck it.
Education over, it’s time for an avocado milkshake. Popularly known as butter-fruit milkshake down South, the consistency of this shake is so thick that it had to be eaten using a spoon instead of straw!
Westfalia’s avocado nursery in Coorg focuses on cultivating selected rootstock, clonal, and commercial planting material to grow top-tier Hass and other commercial avocado varieties.
Their efforts have already borne fruit, pun intended; they have over 500 acres of avocado plantations across India with an ambitious goal to double it by 2026. “It takes nine to 12 months approximately for avocado to grow. The ideal temperature should be somewhere between 5-35 degrees,” says Ajay.
There are over 30 farmers at the Westfalia Fruit India in Coorg who are helping with the avocado produce. The technique of grafting and cloning for growing avocados must be done with a high degree of precision. “We are on a mission to make avocados a staple in Indian kitchens. With lifestyle diseases on the rise and nutritional deficiencies everywhere, avocado is an essential addition to daily diets.
Packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, this superfruit offers a host of health benefits,” says Westfalia Director, Professor Chengappa. The good professor had some interesting avocado anecdotes to share: “One European study says anyone who has a bad experience with buying avocado doesn’t buy it for another 13 weeks.”
Following the farm visit, it’s time for feasting. At the Taneerhulla Bungalow, the highlight is avocado cupcake. It won’t give fitness faddists the guilt of having dessert because it isn’t dessert after all. A slice of cucumber topped with guacamole is the healthiest cupcake (not) ever. What’s not to like about it?
