How we source · Our Malabar advantage
Our sourcing begins in Kerala’s spice country, on India’s Malabar coast and in the Western Ghats behind it. We can buy directly through farmer relationships or find a selection through our local trader network, with recent-harvest lots selected around your required arrival date.
Direct farmer sourcing. Our relationships with farmers let us arrange supply close to the crop, discussing the harvest period, growing region and preparation needed for the order.
Our local trader network. Traders help us find and assemble the required grade and quantity. Connections with exporters, processors and auction participants support selection and preparation for international supply.
The quotation identifies the route and lot offered. For a recent-harvest order, we work backwards from arrival to select suitable material and plan dispatch.
Different ingredients. Different market routes.
For pepper, selection covers berry-size distribution, measured density, moisture, light berries and extraneous matter. Grower or trader lots may still need cleaning and grading before they match a premium buying specification.
Tellicherry selections are defined by larger screen sizes. A bold appearance is assessed alongside the density, cleanliness and sensory character of the proposed lot.
Compare pepper selections ↗Small cardamom also moves through organised dealer and auction channels, including the Spices Board centres at Puttady and Bodinayakanur. Those connections support market access and price discovery.
An auction purchase is not yet a finished export pack. The proposed supply still needs its size selection, natural colour, seed fill, moisture, defects and packing assessed.
Compare cardamom selections ↗Nutmeg kernels and mace blades come from the same fruit but need separate handling and selection. For nutmeg, whole sound kernels and internal condition matter. For mace, the integrity, colour and cleanliness of the blades are central.
The sourcing brief identifies the desired form, acceptable defects and packing needed to protect it. Whole blades and whole kernels should not be substituted with broken material without agreement.
Explore whole mace ↗The order workflow
The preparation and release plan is agreed for the order, including which supplier or processing partner performs each step.
Confirm the source, harvest period, grade and quantity through our farmer relationships or local trader network.
Assess size, density or seed fill, moisture and cleanliness. Keep the sample tied to the lot being offered.
Agree cleaning, grading, any required treatment, packing and the analyses needed before release.
Match the approved lot to the documents and dispatch plan, allowing for transit against the agreed harvest-to-arrival window.
The work between purchase and packing
Preparation is specified against the intended market and use. Each service, analytical requirement and charge belongs in the quotation.
Sieving, removal of stalks and foreign material, separation of light or defective material, and selection by the required size, form or density.
Agree whether microbial-reduction treatment is necessary and available through the proposed processor. Confirm the method, resulting product condition and verification requirements.
Identify the lot represented by the sample, the sampling point and test methods. Required residue, microbiological and other analyses must relate to the proposed supply.
Confirm food-contact materials, inner seals, outer packaging, net weights and lot marks. Keep different approved lots identifiable through dispatch.
Before the order is released
India · Kerala · The Malabar coast
At its ancient port of Muchiri, known overseas as Muziris, pepper connected these hills with distant markets. The Malabar spice story reaches back more than two millennia.
Discover the Malabar storyA good supply relationship starts here
Start with a catalogue selection and request the supply details behind it.