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India Delight - The Story Of A Fair Trade Coffee

A journey to Araku

The search for the best green coffees in the world led Claude Stahel to the hills of the Eastern Ghats in Araku.
Under British colonial rule, Adivasi farmers had to sell their home-grown coffee for a handful of rupees to government collection stations, where the poorest quality raw product found its way onto the world market. The stations disappeared and with them the few rupees.

Ten years ago, the Naandi began Foundation began to teach individual families the craft of biodynamic coffee cultivation. The success came very soon and convinced with the world of specialty coffee. The positive results were higher revenues and new perspectives for the farmers and a culinary event for coffee lovers.

Small Farmers Going Big

The Adivasi villages are united in a cooperative, the "Small and Marginal Tribal Farmers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society Limited", in short "SAMTFMACS". This registered cooperative was established in 2007 and since then has represented the interests of the small coffee farmers spread throughout the area.
Its focus is clearly on sustainable coffee cultivation and a fair, regular income for its members. The board of directors provides assistance in the education and training of the coffee farmers, manages the central processing station, facilitates quality improvements and enables access to the world market.

Biodynamic Cultivation

Organic farming has actually always been practiced in this area, but primarily for lack of money. However, organic does not automatically mean better quality. Especially in coffee cultivation, the consequences of inadequate fertilization or incorrect tree care are devastating. In biodynamic agriculture, the seeds are already cultivated in specially prepared nutrient soil. This makes the plants demonstrably more resistant to diseases and fungi. Planting and harvesting is done according to the phases of the moon. Of course, spraying is also necessary in biodynamic cultivation. Only these products are based on the anthroposophical/homeopathic teachings, the natural origin. This nature-oriented cultivation was never foreign to the Adivasi farmers, only the expert knowledge was missing. The remedy is provided by international experts such as Peter Proctor from New Zealand.

Fair Trade

Fairtrade means that we pay the price for our raw material that enables our producer to fully meet his social and economic obligations. In return, we receive green coffee of the best quality. This means that the chain, from production to the end customer, is fair to the best of our knowledge and belief.
Coffee is an extremely complex product. From the cultivation and harvesting to the processing, the trade routes and finally the preparation, around 2000 hours of work go into a cup of coffee, most of it by hand.
"We buy India Delight locally in India, independently of the stock market price and without middlemen.

Gems of Araku

One of the most important events is "Gems of Araku". Once a year, the best agronomic small farms and the best batch of coffee are awarded.
This event not only encourages the small farmers to constantly improve in quality, it also makes them proud to show the world what they can do. Specialty coffee professionals, sponsors and buyers gather at this festival to taste and judge the lots. The prize money is a welcome contribution to the farmers, which is paid exclusively to the women, as they are the ones who manage the family's finances.

Sustainable Quality Of Life

The Naandi Foundation is one of India's largest organisations actively fighting poverty in India. It benefits over three million people in communities spread across nine Indian states.
The Naandi Foundation is built on three pillars.
1. upholding children's rights is a key focus.
2. primary schools are expanded and improved. In order for children to have a healthy and balanced meal once a day, food is prepared under hygienic conditions in large kitchens.
3. clean drinking water is to be made available to everyone and sustainable agriculture is to provide a regular income. In addition, the Naandi Foundation also takes care of the social security of its farmers.

The Future Of The Girls

Araku is home to one of the 70 day and boarding schools that the Naandi Foundation runs across India. The Nanhi Kali programme offers underprivileged Adivasi girls the opportunity to complete ten years of schooling, which is rare in rural areas. Their residential facilities enable girls from remote areas to enjoy schooling as well. 40 USD is enough to support a girl for a whole year