In a 2019 interview with Scroll, Naandi Foundation founding CEO Manoj Kumar described two connected efforts: a survey of teenage girls’ lives and aspirations, and an Araku Coffee model intended to improve tribal farmers’ incomes by linking production, processing and sales to consumers. The interview reported encouraging educational ambitions alongside serious health and sanitation concerns, while its coffee prices and product details are historical—not current market information.
What was the Teen Age Girls (TAG) Survey?
Naandi Foundation says it began the TAG Survey in 2017 because teenage girls’ lives, aspirations, educational choices and barriers were not the central focus of existing national datasets. Its account describes a representative home-visit survey of 74,000 teenage girls in 600 districts across all 30 Indian states, conducted by close to 1,000 trained women surveyors. They interviewed girls using digital tablets, measured height and weight, and checked haemoglobin. Naandi says it released the report in Mumbai on 25 October 2018. Naandi Foundation’s TAG Survey account describes the study; these are the organization’s methodology and scale figures, not a claim that the survey was an official government dataset.
The interview says the survey covered education, health, sanitation, aspirations and family context. Kumar’s remarks offer a snapshot of what he said the 2018 survey found, rather than current prevalence estimates. The available interview and organization account do not provide full statistical tables, confidence intervals or subgroup breakdowns.
What did the survey report about girls’ lives?
Kumar described a dual picture: more girls were studying and aspiring to higher education and careers, and they wanted to marry after age 21; at the same time, he highlighted underweight and anaemia concerns, as well as open defecation. He put the health and sanitation concerns this way: “Every second teenage girl was found to be underweight and anaemic, and open defecation is the reality of many girls’ lives.” — Manoj Kumar, interviewed by Scroll, 3 February 2019. Read the interview.
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That statement should be read as Kumar’s account of the survey at the time. It does not establish present-day rates, and the wording does not supply a more precise breakdown of the girls affected by each condition. The interview’s educational findings matter alongside—not instead of—the reported health and sanitation barriers.
How did Naandi develop the Araku Coffee model?
Kumar said small landholdings and selling agricultural produce alone were not enough to lift Araku farmers out of poverty. The project aimed to connect farmers through to consumers, invest in processing that could support quality control, and move beyond business-to-business sales toward consumer retail. The economic idea was to create more value around the coffee and improve the price farmers could receive, rather than rely only on raw produce sales.
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In the 2019 interview, Kumar said the market price for a kilo of clean coffee had been Rs 35–70, while the project paid more than Rs 240. These are historical figures he cited in that interview, not current prices or an independently verified market comparison. They should not be used to estimate what farmers or consumers receive today.
Why quality became central
Kumar said the project adopted organic and fair-trade certification early, then concluded certification alone was not enough and focused on quality. He described specialty coffee as requiring a cupping score above 80 on a 100-point scale, and linked cup quality to biodiversity, soil nutrition and the region’s microclimate. Both the threshold and that explanation are Kumar’s account in the 2019 interview; the available sources do not establish them as a universal current standard.
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His broader point was that farmer livelihoods and ecological conditions were part of the same production model. “Today, Araku is an economic and ecological model that shows it is possible,” he said. — Manoj Kumar, interviewed by Scroll, 3 February 2019.
What did the interview say about Araku Coffee products and retail?
The 2019 interview described four of six terroir coffees as being sold in India, with roasting in Hyderabad, a Paris flagship store and select French distributors. It also mentioned accessories designed by Norwegian design duo Anderssen & Voll, including moka pots, cups, saucers and spoons, and 250 g refill packs available online in India at that time. These are interview-era details, not confirmation of current locations, stock, packaging or availability.
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Naandi’s leadership page describes ARAKU Coffee as a brand that grew from its Araku Valley program and notes Paris retail origins and restaurant-format presence in Bengaluru and Mumbai. That is current organizational context published by Naandi itself; check with the brand for current locations and products before relying on availability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How are the survey and coffee project different?
| Effort | Main purpose | Mechanism described |
|---|---|---|
| TAG Survey | Understand teenage girls’ lived realities, aspirations and barriers. | Home interviews plus physical measurements, reported by Naandi as covering 74,000 girls across 600 districts and all 30 states. |
| Araku Coffee | Improve farmer livelihoods through a higher-value coffee market. | Farmer-to-consumer connections, processing and quality focus, as described by Kumar in 2019. |
They are separate strands of Naandi’s work, not competing solutions: one gathers information about girls’ circumstances; the other seeks to change how coffee is processed and sold so farmers can capture more value.
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- 1. Premium Araku Coffee, Loved by Regulars - Nick of Time brings premium AA Grade Ara-ku coffee beans from India’s Araku Valley. Sourced directly from farmers and grown under natural shade by tribal communities, this 100% Arabica Dark Roast has earned a loyal following.
- 2. Small-Batch Roasted for Superior Quality - The beans are roasted in small batches using precision German equipment, ensuring consistent quality, a distinctive texture, and a rich, pure Arabica flavor.
- 3. Natural, Fresh, and Well-Preserved - Completely natural with zero preservatives, the coffee comes in a 400 g canister to lock in aroma and freshness. Once opened, the provided cover keeps it fresh when stored in a cool, dry place.
- 4. Simple Brewing and Customizable Taste - Grind the beans, use 1 tablespoon per cup, brew with hot water for 4–5 minutes, then strain or pour. Add milk or sugar as you prefer and enjoy the rich, authentic flavor of Araku coffee.
What is established about Naandi’s current impact figures?
Naandi’s homepage reports 700,000+ girls supported under Project Nanhi Kali, 18,019 classrooms, 35,000 rural women farmers trained and 1,300 tribal farmers transformed into millionaires through Araku Coffee. These are organization-reported figures, not independently verified estimates in the sources available here; Naandi’s published figures and definitions should be checked directly for the date and scope relevant to any use. Naandi Foundation
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