Araku Coffee will now feature on the menu at Starbucks after the Andhra Pradesh government signed as many as 21 MoUs with various companies, including Tata Consumer, to promote the marketing of tribal and forest-based products on the occasion of World Tribal Day. Additionally, ITC and the Coffee Board signed MoUs to expand coffee plantations in tribal areas, while OYO Homes and Homey Huts inked MoUs to establish homestays in these areas. The MoUs were signed in the presence of AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Several public and private sector organisations joined hands with the AP government to promote the marketing of tribal-made products and forest produce, including the organically grown Araku Coffee, both within the country and internationally. Leading FMGC company Tata Consumer signed an MoU with the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) to market Araku Coffee in domestic as well as global markets. Starbucks, owned by the same group, will also introduce Araku Coffee to its menu. Araku Coffee kiosks will also be set up across the state.
GCC also signed an MoU with Hathi Services LLC for the retail sale of its products in the United States. The company will also establish retail showrooms across India to showcase tribal products from Andhra Pradesh, along with Araku Coffee kiosks, to improve marketing opportunities for products made by tribal communities.
ITC signed an MoU with the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) at Paderu to expand coffee plantations by an additional 1,600 hectares, supplementing its current operations in partnership with a farmers’ cooperative. The Coffee Board also signed an MoU to expand coffee cultivation in tribal areas while promoting sustainable agricultural practices to achieve quality production.
Moreover, the Central Rubber Board signed a similar MoU with ITDA Rampachodavaram to support rubber cultivation in tribal areas by developing infrastructure and expanding plantations. Subco signed an MoU for processing red chilies cultivated by tribal farmers in Chintapalli. Oyo Homes and Homey Huts also signed an MoU to set up more homestays and provide authentic experiences to tourists while providing livelihoods to tribal families. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who visited Lagishapalli in Alluri district to lay the foundation stone for several development projects, praised the tribal population for their natural skills and expressed his wish to be reborn as a tribal in his next life.