Never have we had so much to say about the Socio, Economic, Environmental impact of a particular coffee but the opportunity for Coffee to transform the plight of marginalised tribes is too important a story to just gloss over: The Araku Valley, located in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, is inhabited by indigenous tribes who are the earliest residents of India. This is not the traditional region one thinks of for coffee growing in India, however, it does have great potential to grow great Arabica.

It has just the right soil, temperature and altitude. The coffee farmers however, although already using organic practices, did not have the knowledge, support or the equipment to process coffee to its full potential. In 2001, the Naandi Foundation began to create a programme in the valley to support farmers growing coffee and other commodities as part of a wider project to  help raise their quality of life, create small sustainable sources of income and at the same time create opportunities in the villages for education, medical care, better food sources, nutrition, fresh water, etc.

After much success over the years, a cooperative called SAMTFMACS (Small and Marginal Tribal Farmers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society) has been created to allow farmers to take control of the process right up to the sale of coffee to the cooperative. There are over 11,000 members belonging to the cooperative spanning 589 villages covering a coffee growing area of 13,560 acres. All women members receive equal pay for equal work; some of them have even reached the highest levels of leadership. The green beans have that rich jade opalescence familiar to us from the wet-hulled Indonesian coffees.

The aroma is decidedly spicy, with a pleasant peppery vibrancy. Our cupping revealed low acidity, full body, a vivacious mouthfeel and a lovely liquorice-like finish. The overall impression is one of woodiness but in a good way, like the sweet aroma that exudes from my woodpile of kiln-dried logs, bitter juniper sweetened by a certain sappiness. All this from a coffee yet to reach its full potential . . .