Board unveils GI-tagged speciality coffees in easy-to-brew drip bags

Coffee lovers are in for a treat with the state-run Coffee Board launching the speciality Geographical Indication (GI) tagged varieties in a single serve, easy to brew coffee drip bags. Consumers just need to pour hot water on these drip bags to brew a fresh cuppa of pure single origin coffees, anytime, anywhere.

Developed under the Atal Innovation Labs, Central Coffee Research Institute, this latest innovation features coffee drip bags of five GI tagged Arabica coffees such as Coorg Arabica, Chikmagalur Arabica, Bababudangiri Arabica, Araku Valley Arabica and the Monsooned Malabar Arabica coffee.

Sourced directly from growers from specific regions, these GI-tagged coffees are being processed by the Coffee Board and sold to consumers under the India Coffee Brand in the contemporary pour-over-format, which is designed for convenience to suit the home brewers, office and travel needs. A box of five single serve GI-tagged speciality coffee drip bags of 12 grams each is priced at ₹200.

Coffee Board CEO and Secretary K G Jagadeesha said the drip bags being marketed under the India Coffee brand will be made available across all the e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart and ONDC among others.

“We are putting everything online to popularise and promote the GI-tagged coffees and make them accessible to consumers across the country. Also, if there is a demand from other countries, we can ship it,” Jagadeesha said.

The Board has been marketing the pure roast and ground coffee powder through its various outlets and also through the e-commerce channels for several years now under the Indian Heritage Coffee Brand at an affordable price. However, this is first time that a concerted effort is being made by the Board to take the GI-tagged coffees to the consumers directly.

Coffee Board’s chairman M J Dinesh said a robust domestic market is crucial to protect the growers against the volatility in the global market and the Board has been taking various measures to promote the consumption. The Board has been taking initiatives such as Kaapi Shastra, Barista Skills training and participation in domestic exhibitions to promote coffee culture and thereby driving coffee consumption.

India the seventh largest coffee producer, exports over two thirds of the 3.6 lakh tonnes of coffee produced in the country, while the domestic consumption is estimated at around 95,000 tonnes as per the CRISIL estimates. The growth in domestic coffee consumption has marginally increased by around 10,000 tonnes over the past 10 years, Jagadeesha said.

The Board has got the seven GI tags for coffees and it in turn facilitates the user registration for the growers to get the GI tag as an authorised user. From the growers, the GI-tagged coffee flows to the roaster or to a trader, who also has to register under the GI registry ensuring complete traceability, while fetching better returns to the farmers.

The Board, which has launched the five GI-tagged arabica range of coffees in the pour-over format, will also launch the GI-Robusta variants – the Wayanad Robusta and Monsooned Malabar Robusta soon. The pour-over format, in which a consumer has to just pour hot water on the drip bag to brew a fresh cuppa, that made an entry into the Indian market over the past two years is seen catching up with brands such as Blue Tokai and The Kaimara Belt among others introducing their speciality variants in the easy to use format.