DHADING: Merely seven years ago, Chaturmai Hill in Siddhalek Rural Municipality-2, Dhading was covered with Wall ex Hook (Gleichenia gigantea) and wild mint plant commonly known as Rudilo; in absence of nearby drinking water sources and irrigation facilities, building a settlement or farms seemed an insurmountable challenge to the locals. Yet today, as one travels by the region, the transformation which the hill has undergone is conspicuous.

Chaturmai now has become well known among the locals and tourists as the Coffee Hill after Tourism Entrepreneur Dinnath Regmi face-lifted the wild wasteland with an estate with 52,000 coffee plants and a resort operated by Himalayan On-Top Organic Coffee Estate Pvt Ltd.

With more Coffee beans, merrier the hills

“With every passing year we will hike the plantations and increase production,” Regmi said, “the estate has seen investment amounting to Rs 80 million and is spread over 300 ropani.”

Founder Regmi says that the farm has now started extracting beans from 18,000 plants out of the total 52,000.

A coffee plant in your name

Not only foreign nationals, but Nepali bureaucrats, leaders, entrepreneurs and journalists also visit the humble retreat of coffee farm and resort.

“We privilege the high level officers and foreign tourists with an opportunity to plant coffee seeds,” said Regmi. “Later, a tag is kept along the plant with the names of people who planted it.”

According to Regmi, such a move will help the visitors to retain the farm in their memories and spread good word-of-mouth.

Entrepreneurs: Job creators, saviours of the economy

The locals are buoyant when they talk about the farm as it has not only helped to promote tourism in the area but has also created jobs for them. Currently, the farm has employed 17 in-house resident labourers. During the planting and harvesting seasons, the estate employs more than 50 local workers.

The farm which started marketing its produce two years ago generated six metric-tons of beans in the previous fiscal. The processed organic coffee beans are sold from the farm at the rate of Rs 4,000 per kilogramme. Apart from domestic sales, as Regmi suggests, high demand of organic coffee in Europe has favoured increased production and export. Moreover, the cash crop garners high revenue from the European market, Regmi added.

• thehimalayantimes.com