Farm Practices at Lemon Tree Plantations
Soil Management
Healthy coffee begins underground. We conduct annual soil analysis across the estate's blocks to understand pH levels, organic matter content, and the balance of macro- and micronutrients. Fertiliser application — both organic and inorganic — is calibrated to what each block actually needs, rather than applied uniformly. This soil-based dosage approach avoids excess input, reduces runoff, and keeps the soil biology intact.
Coffee pulp and mucilage, the by-products of wet processing, are composted and returned to the fields as organic matter. We maintain cradle pits around young plants to capture rainwater and concentrate nutrients at the root zone. During the monsoon months, we practise slash weeding rather than clean weeding — leaving cut vegetation on the ground as mulch to protect against erosion and conserve moisture for the dry season ahead.
Rain harvest pits are dug across the estate to slow surface water, encourage percolation, and recharge the water table. In new clearings, we grow cover crops such as legumes, pigeon peas, and green manure plants between the coffee rows. These serve double duty: suppressing weeds while fixing nitrogen in the soil.
Shade and Canopy Management
Coffee in the Western Ghats has always been a shade-grown crop, and at Lemon Tree we take shade management seriously — not just for the beans, but for the broader ecosystem. Our canopy comprises native species such as Ficus, Terminalia, Dalbergia, and other indigenous trees, supplemented where necessary by silver oak for its quick growth. We prefer native species wherever possible, as they support far richer wildlife than monoculture plantings.
Shade regulation is a seasonal discipline. We thin the canopy carefully, timing the work to avoid the critical blossom period and the months when white stem borer beetles are most active. If blossom showers and backing rains have not arrived by April, we postpone shade regulation to keep the soil moist and the microclimate cool. This patience costs us a few weeks of labour flexibility but pays dividends in healthier plants and lower pest incidence.
Pruning of coffee bushes is carried out annually — removing dead wood, crisscross branches, and suckers to improve air circulation and light penetration. This also reduces the humid conditions that encourage fungal diseases such as black rot during the monsoon.
Water Stewardship
Integrated Pest Management
Water runs through every aspect of plantation life — from irrigation and processing to the streams that border our estate. We treat it as a shared resource, not a private one.
Rainfall records are maintained each season and inform our irrigation decisions. We use sprinkler irrigation for Robusta blocks during the dry months, targeting water delivery to where it is most needed rather than flooding entire areas. Leaks in the irrigation system are repaired promptly, and water usage is recorded to track efficiency over time.
In the wet processing of coffee, we use eco-pulpers that significantly reduce water consumption compared to traditional methods. The minimum amount of water necessary is used for pulping, and we ensure that untreated or unfiltered wastewater never enters any natural water body — whether stream, river, or lake. Grey water from the estate's labour quarters passes through percolation pits before returning to the soil.
We maintain buffer zones along all streams and water bodies on the estate, ensuring that spraying activity never takes place near these zones. Drinking water sources are analysed periodically to confirm they remain safe for the workers and their families who live on the estate.
We follow an integrated approach to pest and disease management, combining cultural practices, biological controls, and — only when necessary — approved agrochemicals applied with strict protocols.
White Stem Borer
The coffee white stem borer is perhaps the most damaging pest on any estate. Its lifecycle is tied to temperature and moisture: adult beetles emerge during April–May and again in October–December, laying eggs in the crevices of coffee bark. Infested plants must be traced promptly, uprooted, and destroyed. We monitor for early emergence using pheromone traps installed across the estate, and we smooth the stems of coffee plants with coir gloves and apply a lime wash to discourage egg-laying. Maintaining optimal shade cover is one of our best defences — borer incidence is consistently higher in under-shaded blocks.
Coffee Berry Borer
Berry borer management relies heavily on good harvest hygiene. We install broca traps near the drying yards and across the estate. At the end of each harvest, all remaining berries on the plants are stripped off completely to deny the pest a breeding ground. Picking mats are used to collect fallen berries and prevent them from contacting the soil, which can lead to mould formation and borer carryover into the next season. Bags used for picking are washed and dried thoroughly before each use and checked for any residual chemical odour.
Mealybugs and Sucking Pests
Mealybugs are soft-bodied insects that infest tender branches, nodes, and berries — multiplying rapidly during hot, dry weather. Because ants are the primary carriers of mealybugs, controlling ant populations on the estate is a key part of the strategy. We avoid excessive shade removal in Robusta plantations, which tends to trigger mealybug outbreaks. Infested plants are treated with approved insecticides applied through calibrated gator sprayers.
Black Rot
This fungal disease thrives during the monsoon in areas with heavy shade, high humidity, and poor air circulation — particularly in valleys and under dense silver oak canopy. Our preventive approach centres on timely shade thinning before the onset of monsoon, along with regular centering of coffee bushes to improve airflow. When symptoms appear, affected leaves and berries are removed and destroyed, and a Bordeaux mixture is applied as a preventive spray.
Chemical Discipline
We maintain a strict chemical input control system. Only approved agrochemicals are used on the estate — a list that explicitly bans substances such as endosulphan, chlorpyriphos, paraquat, and other harmful compounds. All chemicals are stored in a dedicated, locked godown, segregated by type, with powders on top shelves and liquids below. Workers handling chemicals are required to wear full protective equipment. Spray equipment is calibrated annually, and we observe strict reentry periods after any spraying — no work is permitted in treated areas until the specified interval has elapsed. Buffer zones are maintained around water bodies and natural ecosystems, and spraying is avoided during bud initiation and flowering to protect pollinators.
Harvesting
Post-harvest Processing
Coffee quality is won or lost at harvest. Our pickers are trained and briefed at the start of each season: only ripe, red cherries are to be picked. At the end of each day, every picker sorts through their collection, removing any unripe berries, twigs, and leaves before the coffee is weighed. We use calibrated scales to ensure fair measurement, and the cherry is transported to the pulping unit the same day in cleaned vehicles.
Picking mats are spread beneath the bushes during harvesting to catch any fallen cherries, preventing soil contact and the mould formation that comes with it. Workers wash their hands before picking and after any sanitary breaks. No branches or new buds are to be broken during the process — protecting next season's crop is as important as this season's yield.
Harvested cherry is processed within twenty-four hours of picking. Only clean water is used in the pulping process, and machinery is cleaned every day after operation to prevent damage to beans and avoid cross-contamination between batches.
After pulping, the beans undergo overnight fermentation to loosen the mucilage layer, followed by thorough washing. Cherry skins and pulp are diverted to composting pits — they are never discarded into streams or waterways. The washed parchment is spread on raised drying patios, never directly on bare ground. Regular raking ensures even drying, and coffee is covered each evening to protect it from mist and re-wetting.
Moisture levels are checked using a moisture meter before the parchment is bagged and moved to the estate's dedicated coffee godowns. These storage rooms are kept free from any fuel, diesel, or agrochemicals. The roofing is monitored for leaks, and any issues are attended to immediately. Coffee stored here is placed on raised surfaces, away from walls, in a room free from possible contamination sources. When coffee is transported to the curing works, vehicles are cleaned thoroughly beforehand and the load is covered with tarpaulins to prevent rewetting.
Environmental Commitments
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Forest Conservation
No hunting is permitted on the estate. Existing forest patches and stream-side vegetation are preserved. We plant native species in preference to exotics when establishing or replacing shade.
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Water Protection
Buffer zones along all water bodies. No wastewater discharge into streams. Eco-pulpers to minimise water use. Periodic drinking water quality analysis.
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Soil Conservation
Slash weeding during monsoon, cradle pits, rain harvest pits, coffee pulp composting, mulch retention, cover crops in new clearings, and regular soil analysis.
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Climate Adaptation
Soil-based fertiliser dosing to reduce excess input. Solar energy where feasible. Machinery maintained for fuel efficiency. Preference for climate-resilient coffee varieties in new plantings.
Waste Management
Waste on a plantation falls into distinct streams, and we manage each one separately. Household waste from the estate bungalow and labour quarters is segregated at source. The chemical godown follows its own protocol: empty agrochemical containers are triple-rinsed before disposal and are never reused for any other purpose.
Coffee processing generates two main organic by-products — pulp and mucilage. Both are composted on-site and returned to the fields as organic matter, closing the nutrient loop. Grey water from washing areas and labour quarters is channelled through percolation pits rather than being allowed to flow into open ground or waterways.
Fuel and diesel are stored separately from all coffee and food areas, in quantities that minimise the risk of spillage and contamination.
Traceability
Every lot of coffee that leaves Lemon Tree Plantations can be traced back to the estate. We maintain records of planting blocks, harvest dates, processing batches, and storage conditions. Our coffee varieties — selected from the Coffee Board's approved seed stock — are propagated in our in-house nursery, giving us control over quality from the very beginning of the plant's life.
This traceability is not merely a matter of record-keeping. It is our assurance to buyers and consumers that what they receive is genuinely single-estate coffee, grown and processed under the conditions described on these pages.