A MINDSET SHIFT IN SPICE SOURCING WITH SANA JAVERI KADRI, CEO & FOUNDER, DIASPORA CO.
In 2016, Sana set out to source regeneratively grown spices from south Asia. Her bigger mission: to create a truly equitable spice trade. To do this, Sana knew that she had to find growers whose values aligned with hers — who viewed themselves as stewards of the land. Only then did Sana look at growing methods, product and (as a final piece in the puzzle) profit. By replacing an extractive mindset with an investment mindset, Sana created a blueprint that was truly sustainable for earth, people and business. We spoke with her for REACT, and she’s shared some valuable insights about her journey and work with Diaspora Co.
SANA JAVERI KADRI:
There is a Michael Pollan quote: "don't eat anything your great-great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food". This idea assumes that your ancestors were white, affluent, never colonised, never displaced, never encountered famine, and had lives that people deemed important enough to be passed on or written down.
Many South Asians don’t have access to the knowledge of how their great-great-grandparents were farming or eating because recent history is dominated by the intensive commodity model. This means three crops a year: a cash crop, rice paddy, and nitrogen-fixing crop with no rest for the land. While growers might get bumper harvests for a decade or so, by the twentieth year their yields are falling and more importantly, their water tables are falling. Across Punjab and Madhya Pradesh — two major producing zones for India — water tables have dropped so far that there has been an exodus away from agriculture.
The alternative is an industrial organic model. You still have to rely on inputs — organic approved, but still inputs – and these are so expensive that the math has never worked. You lose the short-term high yields you would get from intensive farming, but you spend more, leaving you with very little financial security.
The folks that are now succeeding are zero input, or only use inputs that they make or grow on the farm. Then, if the yield is low, that’s ok because they didn’t spend money on inputs. In India, it is usually called "zero-budget natural farming" or "natural farming". We call it "regenerative agriculture" because that is what they call it in America.
TURMERIC, A ROOT GROWN IN ANDHRA PRADESH
We found Prabhu, our Turmeric grower, through the Indian Institute of Spice Research. At the time, he was the only farmer in his area to be growing regeneratively, inspiring criticism from those around him who believed him idealistic.
Prabhu’s father grew tobacco for Marlboro, a lucrative business at the height of cigarettes. When Prabhu was born, he was told there was no future in agriculture. The family began selling their land, which had become unproductive after years of monocropping, instead investing their money into a different future for Prabhu. He left the family farm, gained an MBA, and for over a decade, the land lay fallow, resting.
Prabhu describes this time of rest as ‘the miracle’ that the land needed and in 2015 he began to farm it again. With his passion and knowledge he rebuilt it: now the land now plays host to oranges, yams, bananas, turmeric, marigolds, black rice, all growing together.
SAFFRON, A FLOWER GROWN IN KASHMIR
For our Saffron; we sent Raqib, our partner, some incredible samples from around the world. This was an expensive endeavor, thousands of dollars worth of saffron. He graded each one, lab tested them, made extensive notes and tweaked his own processing to make sure that his was better in terms of oil content, flavor and aroma.
You wouldn’t get this kind of commitment to research and development from a traditional transactional relationship. We’re willing to back a grower, to invest in an incredible spice that people will want to use. That gives us both more security: a high-value crop for the grower and a unique product for us to market.
CARDAMOM, A FRUIT GROWN IN THE WESTERN GHATS OF KERALA
We are always short on Cardamom. I saw 14 estates. I saw neat rows, perfectly irrigated, perfectly weeded. But I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t getting mind-blowing beautiful cardamom or a sense that these farmers were aligned with our values.
Then I went to see Abraham at the Baraca Estate and it was chaos, I panicked. Weeds everywhere, bees and birds, it looked like a forest, not a farm. His cardamom plants were shorter by feet. This was down to the weeds; he left them intentionally unabated because every plant and pollinator is part of a balanced system. The cash crop, the nitrogen-fixing crop, and the shade-providing trees. Abraham saw no benefit in abetting the weeds; the cardamom plants, he said, if strong enough, will regulate the weeds. I thought he was crazy. But for four years running, he’s provided us with the most delicious cardamom we’ve ever encountered — a rare and special variety growing in its native region.
We exist to fix the food system.
People are more cut off from the origins of their food than ever. This makes flavor, nutrition and farming practices that protect the planet, almost impossible to find.
By working directly with growers, we create a more sustainable way forward for farming. By giving everyone the tools to understand the power of our food choices, we empower everybody to become drivers of change.
Now is the time for action. Join the food system revolution.
Go beyond four seasons
Each fruit and vegetable has its own season, with subtle shifts which happen every day. Follow their microseasons to unlock flavor at every stage.
WHAT’S IN SEASON?
Know where your food comes from
We know the name of the person behind everything we source. Recognize their growing artistry to find out exactly where your food comes from (and why that matters).
MEET THE GROWERS
Make your diet diverse
Our growers work with varieties chosen for quality and nutrition, not yield. By selecting their crops you keep heritage seeds in play, add to ecosystem biodiversity and preserve unique flavors.
GO #OFFTHEPASS
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