Veena Mani By Express News Service ? How far can one go in search of coffee? Apparently, from Spain to India. Marc Tormo did exactly that in 1997 when he moved to Auroville in Puducherry. CE talks to Tormo, the founder of Marc’s Coffee in Auroville, about his love for coffee, opening up to spirituality and raising kids in India What brought you to India? I come from a place called Catalonia in Spain. I was into the business of coffee there where I had a speciality coffee shop. I came to India a few times when I was 19 years old to understand about coffee and I found out about coffee plantations in the southern part of India. People were not aware of the entire process of coffee-making. I understood this method and helped people trace the journey of the coffee they were drinking. Finally, in 2008, we launched Marc’s coffee here in Auroville. Before setting up the coffee place, I had to put in a lot of research on not just coffee but the farmers, their psyche among other things. After setting it up, it took us five years to pick up speed. But it was a pleasant cultural change. Europe is more materialistic. People here are spiritual. Auroville allows me to explore that part as well. My children were born and raised here. India is now second home. Plus, we have a cosmopolitan environment here at Auroville. There are Koreans and Spaniards and many others here. How do you keep in touch with your roots? My children can speak Catalan very well which is the dialect from the region I come from. They have learned Tamil, French, Catalan, Spanish and English. We make it a point to visit Spain every year. I like to keep all the goodness of the Spanish culture. People from my region are adventurous and entrepreneurial. I would like to retain all that. But spirituality is something I understood after living in India. How do you and your family spend time together? I love to cook, especially for my family. We all spend time cooking. I like making paneer butter masala, khichdis and chapatis. We make a mix of Spanish and Indian cuisines at home. We travel a lot. I take them on my trips to coffee plantations. But this is not just so that they understand coffee but also they understand people and cultural diversity wherever they go. I like to spend time gardening with my children. What are your interests apart from coffee? I love to sing, I love to listen to music and be with nature. Life in Auroville lets me enjoy all of this. I can work and be in the midst of nature and pursue my interests. Auroville is considered to have deep spiritual roots. What is your experience of spirituality? Auroville has taught me the concept of unity with diversity. We have people from different cultures living here. It has helped me understand the inner meanings. One of the things living in Auroville has helped me with is understand myself and have a holistic view of anything. One half of India is populated with tea lovers. Have you ever thought of shifting your beverage loyalties? I have nothing against tea. But I feel coffee has not been studied enough. I chose to focus on coffee. Coffee needs a lot of support to reach everybody so that everyone understands coffee. That is why I chose coffee. What are your favourite destinations in India? I love the Western Ghats. Wayanad, Coorg, Mysuru and Chikmaglur are some of my favourite destinations. I am a coffee lover and a nature lover. I like to see wildlife. Marc will be conducting a Coffee workshop till December 9 at Old Kents Estate, Coorg

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