An Indian coffee blend called 'Araku', produced by tribal youth in Andhra Pradesh, has won a gold medal at the Prix Epicures OR 2018 Award in Paris, France.
Almost exclusively produced by tribal farmers, the coffee that they have produced is the first Indian coffee blend to have won the prestigious award, News18 reported. This is a significant victory for India, as it was up against popular coffee blend varieties from Sumatra, Colombo and other regions.
Coffee brand Araku was formed in an attempt to give the tribal youth in the Araku Valley of the state more employment opportunities, the report added.
While it made its debut in Paris in 2017, the unique coffee blend is still not available in India. However, that may soon change.
The initiative to take the blend overseas and make it a global entity was spearheaded by the Naandi Foundation, supported by Anand Mahindra and his company. Mahindra was one of the directors.
Following the award, Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to express how this international victory was quite a milestone for India.
Araku has even managed to have its own store in the trendy upper-Maraise neighbourhood of Paris, and is also being sold in grocery store La Grande Epicerie, the report added.
(With inputs from News18)
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