Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched Koraput Coffee and a dedicated e-commerce platform (Koraputcoffee.org) to promote Koraput coffee across the world.

The state government is also planning to create a number of such cafes across the country, which will help establish the potentially life-transforming brand for local coffee farmers.

Coffee cultivation transforms life in the tribal hinterland of Koraput district in Odisha. Koraput, which is located at a height of 3,000 feet above sea level, is ideal for growing coffee because of its cool climate and rainfall. This local coffee is a 100% Arabica single origin coffee that will compete with the specialty coffee market in the near future, officials said.

In just two years, Koraput coffee has carved out a niche for itself, Patnaik said, saying the state government has undertaken multiple initiatives to promote Koraput coffee for the benefit of tribal livelihoods.

In addition to the marketing of Koraput coffee by the Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Limited, the Coffee Development Trust of Koraput has taken up to 300 hectares of new and old coffee plantations.

“I am honored to be associated with Koraput Coffee since its inception in 2019. Our new product line Tiger Bright is already a real eye-catcher. Many international buyers contact us for wholesale purchases. I am sure it will help our tribal producers to get competitive prices. Said Mansi Nimbhal IAS, Managing Director of TDCCOL.

In a major boost for the local coffee brand, Tata Coffee recently agreed to market the coffee grown in the Koraput district to national and international markets.

TDCCOL supports lakhs farmers and purchased 28,790 kg of coffee beans from 193 tribal coffee farmers in Koraput in 2020-2021. This year, the Coffee Development Trust in Koraput took over 300 ha of new and old coffee plantations in the district.