Commissioner & Secretary Vikeyie Kenye and other officials of LRD during the launching of the first ever barista training programme for educated unemployed youths at Kohima on August 10. (Morung Photo)
First ever barista training underway
Morung Express News
Kohima | August 10
Coffee which was introduced in Nagaland during 1981 by the Nagaland Plantation Crops Development Corporation (NPCDC) in collaboration with the Coffee Board of India (CBI) was initially considered a failed crop and its cultivation was abandoned within a decade.
However, considering the huge potential of the crop in the state, the Land Resources Department and the CBI in 2014 collaborated to revive old plantations and promote new plantations to produce specialty organic coffee, generate coffee-based employment, and at the same time mitigate the widespread practice of jhum cultivation.
Today, the initially considered failed crop has achieved a considerable milestone not only in terms of area expansion which stands at 8996.5 hectares as of 2020, but also the end product in the form of availability of a range of coffee drinks within the state and outside the country as well.
To promote Nagaland coffee and encourage the culture of drinking home grown coffee, the department has been promoting Naga coffee during the annual Hornbill Festival since 2015. Nagaland coffee being recognised as the best both in taste and aroma, and to make it available year round, the Nagaland Coffee Bar came into being 2020 at the directorate. The coffee bar is manned by professional baristas and a range of drinks are available for any coffee lovers.
With these objectives in place, for the first time in the state, the department has organised a five-day (100 hours) barista training for educated unemployed youths which was launched on Tuesday at the directorate.
Highlighting the vast potential of coffee, Director J Renben Lotha, in his address, said “we, as Nagas don’t have the luxury to remain idle. We need to gear up and start working to promote our coffee.”
With the Land Resources department being the nodal department for coffee development in the state, he said it has looked at the whole ambit of the crop from “field to cup.” Thus, the whole process starting from plantation, picking, milling, drying, and parchment removal, roasting and brewing is being addressed by the department, added Lotha.
To expand coffee bar in the state, he informed that the establishment of coffee bars has also been initiated in all the districts and district offices of LRD.
With growing numbers of coffee places looking for trained baristas, he informed that the department equips trainees with professional and relevant skills. The training, Lotha said, is a structured course to impart all the essential skills one needs to succeed as a barista and will allow one to gain a deeper understanding of the coffee itself.
Encouraging the trainees to make the best out of the training programme, Lotha asserted on the need of creating a positive image of the state to provide the ‘best of coffee and herbal teas’ and to assert the fact that Nagaland is part of nation building.
Nonetheless, he also advised “we must make sure that we are able to serve not only good coffee, but serve our hospitality, friendliness and knowledge as well.”
Launchimg the training programme, Commissioner & Secretary Vikeyie Kenye programme said this programme is a promising endeavour for educated unemployed youths, and urged the participants to take full advantage and hone their skills.
12 trainees from eight districts are in attendance for the first batch of the five-day training programme where they will be taught the nine modules to be a barista with trained baristas from the state namely Tokaito K Achumi, Nzanthung Ngullie and Vito Swu.
After the training, the department envisage that the trainees will have an in-depth theoretical (20%) and practical knowledge (80%) of making a range of coffee drinks, and will be at the level of a skilled working barista and master the art of making good coffee.
On completion of the course, the trainees will be awarded certificates after assessment and evaluation, and also some equipment, as a start up for the entrepreneurs. It was also informed that the second training will be conducted for the rest of the districts.
