Coffee - Picking to Pulping.

shaloot · April 6, 2010

Earlier this year I made a trip to our home in Coorg, India, where our family grows coffee. It's pretty much the main crop in the region, along with rice and pepper. Some families (like ours) can only dry the coffee after the picking, whereas other estates have the pulping operation on site. Some farmers sell their coffee to the TATA group (yes, the same company that makes the Nano and other cars and trucks) whereas some do everything on their own.

Anyways, it's quite a hectic time of year, since there is only a certain window to get the picking done before the coffee berries rot out on the tree. Also, the plants need to be irrigated just so right before picking, to make sure the bloom happens, which means the berries for next season will start growing.

I tried to capture the process, from picking to the pulping process, but I really wasn't that happy with my results. I had envisioned a different style than what transpired, and I don't know if it was the equipment or my lack of translating thought to camera. I pictured close up shots of the people, more candids, and a sense of weariness (it's hard work). Sure, I might have been able to get more of these if I did more PP, but I really hate sitting in front of the computer. I also could not decide whether to do these in color or B&W. Color I wanted so that I could show of the scenery and colorful clothes of the people, B&W for the contrasts and focus.

All shots taken with my K10d, and primarily with my FA50 and a few with the kit lens 1.0. Here are just a few shots from my series. I never know whether it's better to have a link to the complete set or if I should paste all photos in the thread. What do you guys prefer?

Anyways, it's basically these steps: picking the berries, counting them out and laying them out for drying, then after drying, it's in soaking tank which runs through the pulper. The pulping machine acts like a centrifuge and peels the skin away, leaving the coffee bean. Then depending on the market it's going to, it gets fermented with enzymes for varying lengths of time. The beans are then put on 3' foot tables (this height is specific) for drying and then finally out on the yard for further drying.

The amount of drying, both before pulping and after, all plays into how strong and to what market the beans are destined for. The beans are taken away where they are ground to powder by other companies. Our (Coorg) coffee does not go to the U.S. market. It's usually headed to Europe and the Far East, where their coffee/taste is stronger. We primarily grow Robusta coffee for export, and the Arabica stays locally/domestically... yea we keep the better stuff :-)

Anyways, here is the set I have in flickr, which I wanted to highlight the process and use my "best" shots: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaloot/sets/72157623566995950/">Coffee picking</a>

This is a set I have in picasa from when I went in 2008, but here I had no plan and just kinda shot the photos. There are also photos of some pepper and tea: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shaloot/MmmCoorgCoffeeAndSomeTeaAndPepper?feat=directlink">Picking on Picasa</a>

Sadly, there is no real difference b/w the 2 years... IMO.

Here are a few:

This is the tree in bloom. During this time, picking is suspend, so that no damage to done to what is essentially next year's crop.

This the picking. Very manual, and not automated like in S.America (which requires more land and money for the machines). The berries are dropped onto a drop cloth, which can then be wrapped up to haul away.

This is how the counting is done:

And then spread out:

Long day:

Here are some scenes from the pulping yard:

These are the berries in the tank:

The pulping machine:

Drying coffee beans and berries:

That look:

Anyways, if you've stayed on to this rambling post till here, thanks for checking it out! I would really appreciate any feedback on the photos or the sets and whether or not it did it's job of telling the story.

Thanks!

andrewg_ny · April 6, 2010

Thanks for sharing, Somanna. I'm guessing the coffee I'm drinking right now isn't from India but I will give a good moment's thought to the hard work that went into getting it from plant to my desk at work.

Is coffee consumption at all common there, or do they just grow this stuff knowing that somebody far away will buy vast amounts of it?

r.t. dowling · April 6, 2010

Beautiful shots! Some of these look like they could have been in the pages of National Geographic.

shaloot · April 6, 2010

-Andrew; yes coffee and tea consumption is very common. We really do have a "tea time" from the British colonial days that happens b/w 4.30 and 5.30pm depending. Coffee is drunk in the morning, but they do like their coffee and tea with milk. Quite a bit of milk, actually. In the city centers you'll see carts going around to office buildings selling hot tea and coffee as well.

-RT - Thanks for the huge compliments!

bob-c · April 6, 2010

Somanna, pictures are at their best when they they tell a story. A story is told here and you did a great job on them. The process comes through loud and clear. You should be very proud of this. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

deaner66 · April 6, 2010

Very nice shots. One question: I've always heard that those white coffee flowers are fragrant. True? What do they smell like?

shots worth sharing · April 6, 2010

This is a very nice set, Somanna and the photos work well with your text. It's much appreciated too because I'm rather a fan of the beverage ;~).

hagar · April 6, 2010

Thanks for sharing those.. never have had the chance to witness coffee production, and I suspect I never will. It was educational to see, and the pictures are very well done :-)

shaloot · April 7, 2010

Glad you guys enjoyed, coffee drinkers or not!

-Steve: Yes there is a strong aroma that fills the air, I missed out on it this year but was there for it in 2008. Individually, the smell is rather soft and gentle, almost... vanilla... almost. There's another description I want to use but can't get the words right now. However, when the entire estate is bloom, it can be quite pungent. IMO it's not a nasty/uncomfortable smell like other flowers.

michael_elenko · April 7, 2010

Somanna,

I've seen the story of coffee told numerous times and I think you have done an excellent job. It's always fascinating how around the world coffee is a colorful tale, and you've captured that well. I also like how you have the flowering plants. That's not all that common to see within the context of the whole story. My favorite aspect of your pictures, however, is that you've captured the humanity behind the product. It's hard work.

So your family utilizes the unwashed or "dry" process for both Robusta and Arabica beans? Arabica, of course, is the higher quality bean that all US fine roasters use. I've read that there are certain Robustas from India that are highly prized and blended with Arabicas into very good, but intense, roasts for American palates. I'll have to seek these out. Thanks for the inspiration.

ME

cyanatic · April 7, 2010

As a huge fan of good coffee, I really enjoyed these. I remember buying some beans a few years back that were from India, but I cannot recall the name. I wish I did because it was excellent. There was some information on the container that the beans were laid out in a warehouse with the doors open during monsoon season and this imparts some special flavor to the coffee. True? Or just some American marketing hack's BS?

Thanks for sharing these...fascinating. I will have to check out your stream on flickr.

sharonh · April 7, 2010

Yes, the story is there, very interesting, and the personal element makes the difference. Well worth the time to read this post and your Flicker and Picasa posts.

I was curious if rain ever during the drying process ruins the coffee? Also, how long does it take to harvest all the beans?

I really enjoyed it and thanks so much for sharing your story. Getting to share a window into one's life is the best part of reading on the forum.

michael_elenko · April 7, 2010

There was some information on the container that the beans were laid out in a warehouse with the doors open during monsoon season and this imparts some special flavor to the coffee. True? Or just some American marketing hack's BS?

</blockquote>

A fair question Steve. I cannot speak to Indian coffees in particular, but in general the aging of coffee beans in native storage provides significant flavor benefits to the coffee beverage that is later extracted. For a slightly less exotic example, compare "aged" Sumatra beans with their non-aged counterparts and I would think that 95% of most everyone will notice the difference. And that difference is considered positive by most (including me). In the case of Sumatra 3-5 years of aging will do the trick.

Having inventory sit around for that length of time equates to a high retail cost of course.

ME

marius_mirea · April 8, 2010

very interesting, thanks for sharing!

shaloot · April 8, 2010

Steve- I used to go to India during the monsoon season and never did see coffee still around. My knowledge is that it gets done before the monsoon, and the focus during those months is rice and the paddies. So it might be some marketing going on there... but sometimes coffee berries are stored away, I just don't know if it's stored out in the open exposed to the cool winds... (I doubt it).

ME- Our family grows the robusta, and we do the dry process. The pictures I have from the drying yard are that. The pictures from the other estate is the wet process, so I should have made it clear that it's not the same berries from the yard. The dry processed berries are taken and milled and hulled by another machine.

I really should do a blog post about this process and verify with my parents what it is I'm saying! I'm going of memory...

Also, here is a video of the counting process if anyone is interested:

jgredline · April 8, 2010

Very nice work Somanna!. Very nice indeed. I would have liked a little less crop, on most, but none the less, they portray the story very well. :)

mountainvisions · April 9, 2010

I really liked this photo essay, nice work, and great capture of the details in several shots.

I think this is one of the best series you have posted, well done!

One CC that you can still do without going back...I really like the berries shot, but it seems flat to me, definitely do a little PP on it to up the curves and mid tone contrast.

les_lammers · April 9, 2010

Nice photo essay.

Monsooned coffee: <a href="http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/monsoon/">http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/monsoon/</a>

michaelphelan · April 9, 2010

Nice work. I'm glad you posted these shots. It's good to see work like this in the Pentax forum, but why didn't you post it in the Street & Documentary forum?

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