Araku Valley Tribal Arabica Coffee Andhra Pradesh

Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, at 900-1100 metres altitude, is where 100,000 tribal farmers of the Kondh, Bagata, and Konda Reddi communities grow premium shade-grown Arabica coffee under a canopy of silver oak trees. Araku coffee is distinct for its low bitterness, chocolate-cherry flavours, and zero-chemical cultivation. The Araku Originals brand, managed by tribal cooperative Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC), exports directly to Paris, Tokyo, and New York specialty cafes. Araku received the UNDP Equator Prize for sustainable tribal livelihood model. The cooperative also processes coffee through natural and washed methods, producing single-origin micro-lots that command among the highest prices of any Indian coffee.