Kelachandra Coffee Names Dr. J.S. Nagaraja as Head of Research & Development
Bengaluru/Chikkamagaluru – Qahwa World
Kelachandra Coffee, one of India’s largest privately held coffee plantation companies, has appointed Dr. J.S. Nagaraja as its new Head of Research and Development (R&D).
Dr. Nagaraja, who most recently served as Joint Director of Research at the Coffee Board of India, brings over 30 years of experience in soil science, post-harvest technology, and sustainable coffee cultivation. His work has included research on soil chemistry, coffee quality improvement, agrochemical analysis, and technology transfer.
At Kelachandra Coffee, Dr. Nagaraja will oversee R&D initiatives across the company’s estates, including soil and leaf analysis, fertilizer optimization, specialty coffee development, disease management, and sustainability projects such as carbon footprint studies.
Speaking on his appointment, Dr. Nagaraja said he plans to focus on soil health, climate resilience, and carbon sequestration, and explore scientific methods to validate the distinctiveness of the company’s coffee varieties.
Dr. Nagaraja holds a Ph.D. in Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, and is recognized for developing the DRIS (Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System) norms for Arabica coffee, a nutrient-modelling framework that has influenced fertilizer management practices across India. He has also contributed to advances in post-harvest processing and organic certification evaluation.
About Kelachandra Coffee
Kelachandra Coffee, a division of the historic Kelachandra Group (est. 1786), operates coffee estates in Karnataka and Kerala, producing Arabica and Robusta varieties. The company follows scientific agronomy practices and post-harvest processing protocols and exports to multiple international markets, including Japan, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Germany, and the Middle East.
