India - Gems of Araku

• Region - Araku Valley - South-eastern India
• Varietals - Sln5, sln795, Sln9
• Process - Natural
• Taste Notes - Strawberry, Raspberry, Vanilla, Whisky, Oak
• Roast Level - Medium
• Q Grade - 85.25

This coffee variety is picked when the cherry is deep crimson red from a group of farmers in the Araku Valley. Dried on a mixture of raised beds and solar mechanical facilities, cherries are covered at night with fine cloth to protect from any additional moisture.

Coffee was introduced to Araku in the early 1900’s from the neighbouring Pamuleru Valley. In 2007, a co-operative was formed to aid coffee production across seven mandals in the area. This is called the Small and Marginal Tribal Farmers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society (SAMTFMACS). The Naandi Foundation were key orchestrators of the SAMTFMACS. The Naandi Foundation is a "charity working towards better health, basic education and sustainable livelihoods for the deprived poor and underprivileged people of Andhra Pradesh". Farmers in the area have decentralised small and scattered plots averaging 1-2 acres per family. They are subsistence farmers, balancing cash crops such as pepper, turmeric, and ginger as well as coffee.

These beans are sourced from 853 micro-producers across the Araku Valley.

The coffee processing unit is also the first in the country to receive global accreditation as a Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campus. This is a story of transformation, an area that previously used slash and burn deforestation techniques and with no traditional knowledge of how to grow coffee; production was low and of poor quality. By providing technical support and training in all areas across the region, the cooperative has managed to rebuild the land and community of growers to what is a recognisable Indian speciality coffee.

Boasting an impressive Q-Grade of 85.25 with red fruit and whiskey notes, it's absolutely delicious!