By Team Yo! Vizag

Copyright yovizag

Araku Valley coffee, the product of the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC), has bagged the prestigious Changemaker of the Year Award -2025 in the category of Financial Transformation.

Kalpana Kumari, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the GCC, received the award at the 7th edition of the Business Line Changemaker Awards function held in Mumbai in the presence of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri.

According to a press note issued by the GCC, since its inception in 1956, the corporation has been championing the welfare of tribal communities with a focus on economic empowerment and social upliftment.

The introduction of coffee cultivation in Araku Valley during the 1970s has emerged as a transformative initiative, elevating subsistence farming into a sustainable and lucrative livelihood while concurrently preserving ecological integrity.

Decades of unwavering dedication resulted in the resounding success of Araku coffee.

The collective endeavour has engendered stable income, social dignity, and international acclaim for tribal farmers. A significant milestone was the acquisition of GI Tag acquired in 2019, which unlocked premium international markets for Araku coffee, establishing its identity as a brand synonymous with organic purity, rich aroma, and distinctive flavour. The GCC attained Organic Certification in 2024 for 6,000 acres of coffee and black pepper plantations owned by 2,600 farmers in Chintapalli and G.K. Veedhi mandals in ASR district.

Plans are afoot to extend certification to an additional 15,000 acres across four mandals, benefiting 10,000 farmers and encompassing other crops in addition to coffee and pepper. During the Adivasi Divas celebrations in Paderu, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between GCC and Tata Consumer Products Ltd. (TCPL) for the launch of organic soluble coffee, a pioneering product unprecedented in India.

To further strengthen its infrastructure, the GCC is also establishing a state-of-the-art integrated coffee processing unit at Settipalem village in Makavarapalem mandal near Narsipatnam. The State government has allotted 12 acres of land and sanctioned Rs.10.00 crore for the project.

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