Bhubaneswar, Sept 16: Coffee grown by tribal farmers in Koraput has reached the global diplomatic stage, with Tiger Bright, a premium Ara bica brand, among the gifts presented to international guests at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
Grown in Nandapur and Machhkund at elevations of 920–950 metres, the coffee is cultivated under the shade of mango, jackfruit and citrus trees. Cherries are handpicked and processed with support from the Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCCOL).
The ‘Koraput Coffee’ brand, launched in 2019, has helped build an organised value chain covering procurement, processing, branding and retail. In 2025–26, TDCCOL procured a record 102.54 tonnes of coffee fruit, nearly three times the 34.68 tonnes procured in 2022–23, benefiting around 360 tribal families.
Tiger Bright has also earned national recognition, winning two Fine Cup Awards at KYK 2024 and securing fourth rank in the Coffee Board’s Flavour of India Fine Cup 2024. TDCCOL now operates 10 Koraput Coffee cafes across Odisha and Delhi, further ex panding the brand’s reach and giving the region’s tribal coffee growers a wider platform.
(By Elisa Patnaik)
