Kalistan

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25 New Coffee Plantation Starts registered
Upper Lucid River being transformed into Coffee land
Lucid Valley, Duchy of Suldanor
June 1, 5665


Land Baron Jack Martini Opened his plantation for Lucid Coffee a year ago

The Upper Lucid River valley is beginning to attract new land owners who have begun opening Coffee plantations.  The move follows the success of the first coffee plantation, opened during the Lucid Crisis ten years ago.  Del Rio Coffee has turned a profit for five years in a row, and the success is attracting newcomers to the Kalistani Coffee Industry.

"When Del Rio was started, everyone laughed," said recent Land Baron Jack Martini, who has opened his own plantation a year ago.  "The owner, Baron Collin Robinson, was believed to be wasting his money, and couldn't get an investment loan, because nobody believed that coffee could grow this far north.  But Robinson proved us all wrong, didn't he.  Southern Suldanor is below the tropic, and the high altitude and wet/dry seasons as well as the natural cloud cover levels up here, while bad for cultivation of food and oil bearing plants, happens to be fantastic for coffee production.  Hence, I'm here too.  And lots more are coming."

The upper Lucid River valley has become a hot spot for speculative starter companies.  This year alone, the Suldanor Growers' Syndicate has registered more than two dozen new starts in the Lucid River Valley alone.  "Soil agronomy done by the University in Yoshimi shows that there are similar growing conditions up near Frontera and Temmon on the upper Yoshimi River," said Martini.  "Those towns are small now, but if there is some success with a few healthy harvests, we'll see this all over western Suldanor."

The rapid growth of the coffee industry in the South West represents a fairly major inflow of investment into the frontier region.  Even Her Imperial Majesty has gotten into the game, as Miramar recently purchased more than 10,000 acres in the upper Lucid Valley with an aim to start its own coffee plantation.  The ground is being prepared currently, and will begin being planted likely next year. 

"There may come a time when Kalistani coffee can compete with international suppliers," said Lady Helen Ananto-Reynolds, head of House Ananto, to the Conference of the Suldanor Growers' Syndicate last winter.  “When Lady Dana invested so deeply into Gaduri Coffee, she intended for the industry to become a world supplier.  With new production in Kalistan, perhaps it’s time for us to take up that mantle instead, especially if we ever lose our supplies of coffee coming up from the South."

Lucid Coffee tends to be a bit sweeter and more chocolatey owing to its shorter growing season and different soil than Gaduri blends.  "We've found that coffee is quite sensitive to temperature variation, soil ph's, rainfall, and cloud cover," said Martini.  "We have much different growing conditions than they do in Gaduridos and the few other coffee producing regions in the world, which tend to be much closer to the equator.  The coffees we have been experimenting with are coming in with a light to medium body, a slightly higher caffeine content, and much earthier tones to its flavor.  It's less fruity and closer to cocoa than coffees produced further south.  Its a good thing mocha is fairly popular in Kalistan, as these beans will certainly produce coffees that are complimented well by chocolate."

Martini and others believe that within 10 years, Kalistan will have a profitable coffee industry that is diversified enough to maintain an entire infrastructure.  "At this particular moment, private money is flowing into the region," said Martini, who himself made his money through shrewd investment in both tech and commodities trading.  "I don't imagine this will be the case for long though.  Once we start making a profit, you will see some consolidation.  With House Ananto in the game now, coffee producers in Suldanor have a real chance to succeed."

"Kalistan is a nation of coffee drinkers," said Martini.  "It's time we started growing our own crops."

@LaModa