Coffee

A revival, not just a crop

Coffee first arrived in these hills in the late 1800s, planted under British-era forestry schemes, and for much of the 20th century it existed more as scattered, half-tended groves than an active industry. Starting in the late 1990s, community-led replanting and training programmes brought it back — tribal farmers learned modern agronomy and processing, old trees were restored, and new ones went in under a canopy of jackfruit, silver oak, mango and banana.

That shade-grown approach, combined with the elevation and the region's naturally organic farming practices, is part of why Araku coffee earned Geographical Indication recognition — an official acknowledgment that this particular origin produces something distinct. Cup notes tend toward a gentle fruitiness with caramel warmth and a soft, bittersweet finish, though every lot varies with the season and the specific micro-plot it came from.