Farm Story
Lu Gao Coffee Estate is under the umbrella of Taiwan Agricultural & Industrial Corporation (TAIC), which has a long history dating back to the Japanese colonial period. It originated from Mitsui & Co., Ltd., focusing on black tea cultivation. This century-old tea factory has accompanied generations of Taiwanese people, witnessing Taiwan’s ups and downs. As times changed, TAIC not only preserved traditional tea-making techniques but also actively introduced modern production equipment and management concepts to improve product quality.
Lugang is located in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, where 13,850 coffee trees are planted. The estate grows various coffee varieties, including Typica, SL34, Yellow Catuai, Venecia, Villa Sarchi, and Geisha. Every coffee bean grows and thrives on this land. Lugang Coffee Estate is not just a coffee plantation; it also has a coffee shop that combines production and tourism. All the coffee beans in the shop come from their own estate, allowing visitors to taste the authentic flavor from soil to cup up close.
To curb global warming trends, 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015 to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. As a member of the global community, Taiwan actively participates in this global action. To achieve this goal, the Council of Agriculture (now the Ministry of Agriculture) established a Net Zero Carbon Emissions Office in September 2021, specifically responsible for promoting and implementing carbon reduction policies. TAIC and Lugang Coffee Estate are also part of the effort to prevent the greenhouse effect, actively responding to government calls and striving to reduce carbon emissions in their business operations. Carbon inventory is one of the most important aspects of net-zero carbon emission policies. Through this process, companies can understand their carbon emissions in production, transportation, energy use, and other areas, identify specific ways to reduce emissions, and use this as a basis for optimization, targeting specific areas for improvement and adjustment, and adopting more environmentally friendly measures.
Lugang Coffee Estate has introduced smart meters and energy management systems to monitor energy consumption in real-time, analyze hotspots of electricity usage, and find ways to save energy. The introduction of these technologies allows Lugang to understand the energy use of various equipment and facilities in real-time, thereby formulating more accurate energy-saving strategies. Combined with regular energy audits to identify the necessity of energy use, unnecessary energy waste can be promptly discovered and improved. With these measures, they can deeply analyze historical electricity consumption data and track the effectiveness of energy-saving measures. Lugang also actively optimizes equipment and operational plans to maximize energy efficiency in daily operations. These measures not only help reduce operational costs but also reduce external environmental costs, contributing to the goal of net-zero emissions.
Lugang Coffee Estate is situated in a mountainous area at an altitude of about 600 to 700 meters. The path leading into the estate is a scenic trail surrounded by lush tea gardens, with fresh tea fragrance wafting in the breeze, as if in dialogue with nature. As you walk up the trail, you gradually catch glimpses of the estate’s coffee shop building. The architecture of the coffee shop is classic and elegant, forming a stark contrast with the terraced fields on both sides of the trail. The coffee tree forest standing beside it is like a neat guard of honor, steady and solemn, as if guarding this paradise.
Lugang was not initially established for tourism but focused on growing premium coffee. To achieve this goal, careful soil and water conservation was carried out from the beginning to ensure soil fertility and stability. The planting spacing of coffee trees was also carefully planned to ensure each tree receives sufficient sunlight and air circulation. To address the sunlight exposure problem in low-altitude areas, Lugang also planted shade crops such as Taiwan Incense Cedar to protect coffee trees from excessive direct sunlight.
In terms of quality management, Lugang Coffee Estate spared no expense in purchasing various advanced equipment and tools. In the post-processing and roasting of coffee beans, the estate adopted standards from large foreign roasting plants, strictly controlling every step to ensure the highest quality of coffee beans. It is because of this solid foundational work that Lugang Coffee has established a good reputation in the market, allowing them to further develop tourism marketing. Only when the quality of coffee beans was guaranteed did Lugang begin to develop tourism operations. They turned the coffee shop into a comfortable resting place, allowing visitors to enjoy beautiful natural scenery and a leisurely atmosphere while tasting high-quality coffee, providing a pleasant experience space for every visitor.
Located around Sun Moon Lake, Lugang Coffee Estate has long been a popular check-in spot for tourists. Surrounded by large coffee forests, it is as elegant as a recluse. Stepping into Lugang’s coffee shop, savoring a cup of fragrant coffee, surrounded by mountains and forests, one feels as if merged with nature, experiencing the beautiful scenery all around and enjoying a leisurely lifestyle.
Farm Information
Website: https://www.lugaocafe.com/
Address: No. 31-6, Chaxiang Lane, Yuchi Township, Nantou County
Cultivation Altitude: 700m
Estate Area: 10 hectares
