Samriddhi Origins · New Delhi, India

A Year in
Spice

A spice does not begin in a warehouse. It begins in a furrow — with a monsoon, a harvest, and hands that know exactly when a pod is ready. We are spice exporters headquartered in New Delhi, but our real address is the countryside, and our calendar is the crop's. Scroll down and travel the Indian spice year with us: from the first winter pepper pick on the Malabar coast to the ship's rail.

Begin in November Catalogue (PDF, 22 MB)

One belief carries the whole journey: quality over quantity. Every product we ship conforms to the exacting standards of ASTA, USFDA, the UK Food Safety Act and EU regulations.

the year begins

Chapter I

Winter

November — February

The cool months are picking months. On the Malabar coast the pepper berries hang heavy just short of ripeness; in Kerala's red soil the ginger rhizomes are ready to lift; and out on the Deccan plains the first chillies are coming off the plants. We buy close to the farm gate, in season, from people who have grown these crops for generations.

Misty plantation hills in Kerala at first light — First light over the Malabar hills — pepper country

"The vines still climb shade trees, the old way. You pick just before full ripeness — no earlier, no later."

Pepper here grows as it always has: vines trained up shade trees, berries hand-picked and sun-dried until they wrinkle black and heavy with oil. It is slow work. It is also why Malabar pepper has been crossing oceans for centuries.

A silver spoon heaped with black peppercorns

Picked November to March, Malabar coast

Harvested this chapter · November – March

Black Pepper

Piper nigrum · Piperaceae

The King of Spices, indigenous to India, with the deep aromatic bite the world has crossed oceans for. Grown in Kerala and coastal Karnataka and dried in the winter sun — we supply the grades the trade asks for by name.

CrackedCoarse GroundGroundFine Ground

Origin: Kerala · Karnataka (Malabar Coast)
Popular grades: Malabar Garbled, Tellicherry Extra Bold
Moisture: 12% max
Volatile Oil: 2.5%
Total Ash: 8% max
Piperine: 3.5%
Shelf Life: Up to 2 years, cool & dry

Lifted from Kerala's red soil, December to February

Harvested this chapter · December – February

Ginger

Zingiber officinale · Zingiberaceae

Kerala's congenial climate and rich soils produce what the trade has long considered the finest ginger in the world. The rhizomes are dug in the cool months, cleaned and sun-dried — fibrous, lemony and warming, the Cochin grades that bakers, brewers and spice houses ask for by name.

GroundSlicedGinger OilOleoresin

Origin: Kerala (Cochin) · Northeast India
Popular grades: Cochin (NUGC), Calicut dried ginger
Moisture: 12% max
Total Ash: 5% max
Acid Insoluble Ash: 1% max
Shelf Life: 12–18 months, cool & dry

Meanwhile, out east on the Deccan plains, the chilli pick has just begun — whole districts of Andhra and Telangana starting to turn crimson. That story peaks in the next chapter.

Chapter II

Spring

February — May

Before the heat arrives, the plains give up their biggest crops. Cumin is cut in the dry winter fields of Gujarat and Rajasthan, turmeric is boiled and polished in Erode and Nizamabad, and the chilli harvest that began in December reaches its full crimson peak. This is the busiest buying season of our year.

Farm workers harvesting in an Indian field — Many hands, one season — harvest on the plains

"Our strength is buying where each crop grows best — from the best farms, orchards and growing centres in India."

We keep close ties with farmers and with experts in procurement, packaging and logistics, backed by a cohesive network of sourcing and shipping partners across the globe. In spring, that network is in the fields.

Drying in open-air grids under the spring sun

Peaks this chapter · December – May

Red Chilli

Capsicum frutescens · Solanaceae

At picking time, whole districts of Andhra and Telangana turn crimson — pods spread to dry in vast open-air grids. From flavoursome and mild to fiercely pungent, we calibrate heat in Scoville units to suit every cuisine, cut and application: a colour-rich Byadgi for oleoresins, a Teja when the dish needs to bite.

WholeCrushedGroundSeedsOils & Oleoresins

Origin: Andhra Pradesh · Telangana · Karnataka
Popular varieties: Guntur Sannam S4, Byadgi, Teja
Moisture: 12% max
Capsaicin: 10,000–100,000 SHU
Total Ash: 11% max
Sudan Dyes (I–IV): Negative
Shelf Life: Up to 2 years, cool & dry

A spoon mounded with golden turmeric powder

Boiled, dried and polished until it glows

Harvested this chapter · January – April

Turmeric

Curcuma longa · Zingiberaceae

India's golden rhizome, lifted from the earth after the rains and then cleaned, boiled, dried and polished until it glows. In Erode and Nizamabad the turmeric harvest is a season in its own right. They call it Indian saffron — for the brilliant colour it gives and the musky warmth it leaves behind.

FingersGroundOleoresinTurmeric Oil

Origin: Erode · Nizamabad · Sangli
Popular varieties: Alleppey, Erode, Nizamabad, Rajapuri
Moisture: 12% max
Total Ash: 8% max
Acid Insoluble Ash: 2% max
Granulation (USS #35): 5% max
Shelf Life: Up to 2 years, cool & dry

Cut before the summer heat arrives

Harvested this chapter · February – April

Cumin

Cuminum cyminum · Apiaceae

Sown into the cool, dry winter fields of Gujarat and Rajasthan and cut before the summer heat arrives. Warm, aromatic and slightly bitter, cumin is the backbone of curry powders and seasonings on every continent — cleaned to Singapore 99% or Europe 99.5% purity, whole or ground to your granulation.

WholeCoarse GroundGroundFine Ground

Origin: Gujarat · Rajasthan
Popular grades: Singapore 99% and Europe 99.5% purity
Moisture: 12% max
Total Ash: 9.5% max
Volatile Oil: 1.5%
Acid Insoluble Ash: 1% max
Shelf Life: Up to 2 years, cool & dry

Dates shift a little with each monsoon — ask us what is arriving fresh when you enquire. Every spice can be customised: grade, cut, grind, treatment and packaging, to your specification.

Chapter III

Monsoon

June — September

When the rains close the fields, the work moves indoors. The monsoon is our quality season: curing, winnowing and grading the year's crop, then proving it at the laboratory bench. Good spice is made twice — once in the field, and once at the bench.

A worker winnowing grain and spice by hand — Winnowing — the oldest grading machine there is

"Colour, cut, aroma, moisture, freedom from foreign matter — judged the old way first: by eye, hand and nose."

Every lot is inspected by experts before it goes anywhere. Then independent laboratories test each lot — run up to the customer's satisfaction — against ASTA, USFDA, UK Food Safety Act and EU standards. Only spices that pass, ship.

Expert Inspection

Every lot is inspected by experts — colour, cut, aroma, moisture and freedom from foreign matter, judged by eye, hand and nose.

Laboratory Testing

Independent laboratories test each lot, run up to the customer's satisfaction, against ASTA, USFDA, UK Food Safety Act and EU standards.

Sterilisation on Request

Where your market requires it, steam sterilisation or ETO (ethylene oxide) treatment — with a microbiological guarantee for treated products.

Metal Check

Every product is checked for metal contamination before final packing, and certificates are issued for every consignment.

Whole spices beside a wooden mortar and pestle

ASTAStandards

USFDACompliant

UK FSAFood Safety Act

EURegulations

HalalCertified

KosherCertified

Chapter IV

Shipping Season

All year round

The last mile of a spice's journey matters as much as the first furrow. Whatever the month, graded and certified lots are packed, documented and moving — air freight for speed, ocean freight for economy — through a comprehensive logistics network that delivers to any country in the world.

Packed exactly to your requirement

Poly woven paper bags, jute burlaps & jumbo bags
Poly woven sacks & corrugated cartons
Pouches, tins, jars & cans
Labelling as per customer's requirements

Papers in order

Proper certificates are issued for every consignment, along with the export documentation your destination market requires. Our products are Halal and Kosher certified.

Incoterms we support

FOBCFRCIFDAPDDP

A warm flatlay of whole Indian spices ready for packing — Whole, crushed or ground — ready for any port on Earth

Epilogue

Hear Our Story by the Fireside

The year turns, and the work begins again. Before it does, sit with us a while — and watch how we carry each season's harvest, unhurried and unspoiled, from Indian fields to your port.

Before You Go

Questions from the Veranda

Which countries do you export to?

We can deliver to any country in the world through our logistics network — air freight for fast deliveries and ocean freight for economical shipping, on FOB, CFR, CIF, DAP or DDP terms.

Can you customise packaging for our order?

Yes. Packaging and labelling are undertaken exactly as per your requirements — from retail pouches, tins, jars and cans to jute burlaps, poly woven sacks and jumbo bags, with every pack checked for metal contamination before dispatch.

How do you assure quality before shipment?

Every lot passes rigorous inspection by experts, followed by laboratory testing — run up to your satisfaction. All products are checked for metal contamination before final packing, and only spices that meet ASTA, USFDA, UK Food Safety Act and EU standards are shipped.

Do you provide sterilised product?

Yes — steam sterilisation and ETO (ethylene oxide) treatment are available, and a microbiological guarantee is given for treated products.

What documentation comes with a consignment?

Proper certificates are issued for every consignment, along with the export documentation your destination market requires. Our products are also Halal and Kosher certified.

Can I request a specific grade, cut or grind?

Absolutely. We customise products to individual customer requirements — whole, crushed, cracked, ground to specified granulation, seeds, oils and oleoresins. Tell us the spec and we'll match it.

Namaste,

If the year you have just scrolled through sounds like the way you want your spices bought, tested and shipped — write to us. Tell us the spice, the grade, the format, the packaging and the destination, and we will come back with a quote, and with what is fresh off the current harvest.

Find us

Samriddhi Origins
Tara Mandal, Mayur Vihar
New Delhi, India — 110091

Call or WhatsApp

+91 87388 30548
+91 99155 03368

Write

hello@samriddhiorigins.com

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Until the next harvest,
Samriddhi Origins

A Year in Spice