Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: The ‘Tiger is burning bright’! One of Odisha’s most celebrated homegrown brands has grabbed global spotlight amid efforts by the state to showcase its economic strengths and investment potential on international platforms.
Here we are talking about Koraput Coffee, specifically its premium Tiger Bright blend, which was included in special MEA’s media kit at the BRICS India 2026 Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Curated under the Centre’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, the kit highlights India’s regional diversity alongside items such as Bihar’s sattu and makhana and a Bandhani-printed stole.
The recognition of the tribal-grown coffee was celebrated by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who praised the milestone on X as a moment of immense pride that reflects the state’s rich natural heritage, hard work, and growing global identity.
“Over the past few days, I have been speaking about #Odisha on global platforms, inviting the world to see the opportunities, strength and potential of our State. Today, it is especially heartening to see Koraput Coffee telling another side of Odisha’s story at the BRICS India 2026 Summit,” he wrote.
Linking the moment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Vocal for Local” initiative, he added, “This is the Odisha I want the world to know—rooted in its soil, proud of its identity and confident in sharing its story with the world.”
Koraput Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan described the inclusion as a matter of immense pride. “Koraput Coffee is not just a product; it represents the hard work of our tribal farmers, the unique agro-climatic conditions of Koraput and the rich natural heritage of the district,” he said. The exposure, he added, would strengthen the brand’s identity, raise awareness of its quality and open new market opportunities that benefit local growers and the regional economy.
A Journey Rooted in History
The story of Koraput Coffee stretches back nearly a century. In the early 1930s, Rajbahadur Rama Chandra Deo, the polyglot ruler of the then Koraput (Jeypore) principality and a coffee enthusiast, experimentally planted the first seeds and established small gardens in the region’s rolling hills and forests. Government efforts followed in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Odisha Soil Conservation Department expanded plantations—particularly around the Machkund basin—to prevent siltation in the Jalaput reservoir, recognising the crop’s dual ecological and agricultural value. Private planters later joined, though commercial scale and organised marketing remained limited for decades.
A decisive revival began in 2017 with the formation of the Coffee Development Trust under the district administration, aimed at transforming Koraput into a coffee hub and providing structured support to tribal cultivators. The formal branding came on 11 September 2019, when TDCCOL—under the state’s ST & SC Development Department—launched “Koraput Coffee.” The initiative created an end-to-end value chain covering procurement, processing, packaging and marketing, ensuring a greater share of returns reached the tribal growers who form the backbone of production.
Today the coffee is cultivated as 100% Arabica, shade-grown under mango, jackfruit, citrus and other native trees in blocks including Laxmipur, Kashipur, Dasmantpur, Nandapur, Lamtaput, Koraput and Pottangi. Elevations of around 900–950 metres (and higher in places), cool climate, adequate rainfall and laterite soils create ideal conditions. Cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness, carefully processed (often washed), sun-dried on raised wooden beds and roasted under strict hygiene standards. The area under cultivation has expanded significantly—from roughly 2,000 hectares around 2018 to more than 4,400 hectares in recent years—with tribal farmers managing a substantial portion.
Tiger Bright and Growing Recognition
Tiger Bright, the premium Arabica blend, embodies the brand’s distinctive character: bright tropical citrus notes of orange, lemon and sweet lime balanced by undertones of caramel, chocolate and cocoa. A carefully calibrated mix of light, medium and dark roasts delivers consistency. The coffee has earned national accolades, including two Fine Cup Awards at Know Your Kaapi (KYK) 2024 and a fourth-place ranking in the Coffee Board’s Flavour of India Fine Cup 2024.
Procurement figures illustrate the transformation. In the 2025–26 season TDCCOL procured a record 102.54 metric tonnes of coffee fruit—nearly triple the 34.68 MT of 2022–23—benefiting around 360 tribal families, including 71 women farmers. Payments of ₹1.07 crore have been transferred directly to growers’ bank accounts, replacing cash transactions, while Smart Cards aid identification and tracking for a growing share of producers. TDCCOL operates eight Koraput Coffee brand cafés across Odisha and Delhi (including one at NALCO Damanjodi), which generated ₹1.64 crore in sales in FY 2023–24. More than 10,000 packs of Tiger Bright have been commercialised, alongside roasted beans and other value-added offerings.
“The presence of Tiger Bright at the BRICS Summit marks a significant milestone. What began as an experimental royal plantation and later a soil-conservation measure has evolved into a branded specialty product that carries the identity of Koraput’s tribal communities onto a global diplomatic platform. Officials and growers alike see the recognition as validation of sustainable livelihoods, value addition and the potential of India’s regional and tribal produce to compete and connect on the world stage, exactly the story Chief Minister Majhi wants the world to hear,” an official release added.
