Passion for coffee led a UK national to start a plantation in Batangas
By 2016, they had established Hinitan Plantation, a 10-hectare coffee and cocoa plantation, in Lipa, Batangas.
“We are situated on the steep banks of Taal Lake, Lipa, Batangas. When we started, the land was pure jungle. Today, we have a balanced combination of agricultural land alongside the jungle areas which we preserved to support the natural habitats of many species of wildlife living on the farm. This includes troops of Philippine long-tailed Macaque monkeys which are also featured on our company logo,” Ballantyne said.
As for its name, the top of the farm is known as Hinitan Ridge which also means 'hot place.’ The television producer and interior designer were the first people to open up shop in this area, thus adopting the name of the place for their farm as well.
“Alongside wanting to preserve liberica species, I also wanted to explore how we could take this local brew to the international market and how we could produce the best quality coffee possible through careful management of not just the planting and tree management, but through to the processing and roasting,” Ballantyne said.
The co-owner of Hinitan Plantation hails from a family of farmers in Canada, but admittedly had absolutely no previous experience in the trade. To make up for that, he possessed a deep passion for coffee and a drive to create a coffee plantation where he considers everyday in it as a learning experience.
“We have a full-time, dedicated team whose constantly working across the farm to ensure each tree is carefully managed, and kept hydrated. Our farm manager, Joan Fernandez, maintains detailed records on each tree and constantly monitors them for any sign of disease or infestation which could cause long term damage to the entire farm if it went unnoticed,” the television producer and coowner of the coffee plantation said.
Due to the size of the farm, Ballantyne and Articona engaged a team from Lipa, Batangas and a team from Bugkalo, SierraMadre, with each person bringing a wealth of farming knowledge and experience to manage all aspects of the farm, from planting to maintenance to design and layout.
Since Hinitan Plantation is founded on extremely steep land, maintaining it has been a constant challenge, initially during the principle planting period. But with terracing along with carefully planned paths and walkways, the area has become more accessible to the farmers there.
“Water, or the lack of it, was also a major issue. It was only resolved in 2019 when we drilled a deep water well, drawing water through volcanic rock, which naturally purifies. As a result, our trees are hydrated with high quality water which is a step closer to producing high quality beans,” Ballantyne said.
He added that in managing a coffee plantation, it is important to plan ahead, expect the unexpected and be prepared to seek out advice.
“The world of coffee is [like] a very close family and there is always someone who can help; you just have to reach out and ask. But ultimately, get your hands dirty, get to know your trees and the different areas of the farm as this can greatly impact the level of care and watering required,” he said.