Tata Signs MoU for Branding Araku Coffee

 Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh government signed 21 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) focused on tribal development involving livelihood generation, agricultural expansion, marketing of forest produce and promotion of tourism.

These agreements got signed in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who participated in the World Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrations in Paderu on Saturday.

Several public and private sector organisations joined hands with the government to promote the marketing of tribal and forest-based products, most notably Araku Coffee, both within India and internationally.

Central Rubber Board signed an MoU with ITDA Rampachodavaram to support rubber cultivation through development of infrastructure and expansion of plantations.

GCC (Girijan Cooperative Corporation) signed a separate agreement to boost the sale of Araku Coffee and tribal products, including goods produced by DWCRA women.

To expand its global footprint, GCC has signed an MoU with Hathi Services LLC for the retail sale of Tribal Cooperative Corporation products in the United States. This includes plans to set up joint retail showrooms across India, which will showcase tribal products from Andhra Pradesh and feature Araku Coffee kiosks, enhancing both marketing and employment opportunities for tribal communities.

Leading FMCG company Tata Consumers signed an MoU with GCC to take the organic Araku Coffee brand to larger domestic and global markets. Additionally, Starbucks is set to introduce Araku Coffee on its menu.

Subco has signed an MoU to create a replicable, sustainable collaboration for processing of red cherries produced by tribal farmers at Chintapalli.

ITC signed an MoU with ITDA Paderu to expand its coffee plantations over an additional 1,600 hectares, supplementing its current operations across 4,010 hectares in partnership with a local farmers’ cooperative.

Coffee Board signed an MoU for expanding coffee cultivation in tribal areas. To strengthen the marketing of products made by tribal women, Frontier Marketing and Easy Mart signed agreements to facilitate sales in rural markets.

Equip signed an MoU with ITDA to integrate turmeric cultivation, set up processing units, and develop necessary infrastructure for value addition and marketing.

In the tourism sector, OYO Homes and Homey Huts have entered into an MoU to establish homestays in tribal regions.

The Change Society has signed an MoU to introduce value-based education for tribal students. Additional MoUs, including one by ISB (Indian School of Business) have been signed with regard to natural farming, marketing infrastructure and sustainable livelihood models.