icon-account icon-glass
$9 Flat Rate Shipping | Free shipping for domestic orders $75+

Founding Story

The original intent of colonial conquest of the Indian subcontinent was a desire for domination of the spice trade. 400ish years later, as a young woman born and raised in postcolonial Mumbai, working at the intersection of food and culture, I was slowly discovering that not much about that system had changed. Farmers made no money, spices changed hands upwards of 10 times before reaching the consumer, and the final spice on your shelf was usually an old, dusty shadow of what it once was.

So in 2016, I booked a one way ticket home to Mumbai and signed myself up for 7 months of highly unpaid market research, 40+ farm visits, endless un-answered phone calls, a squishy motorbike ride through rice paddy, and one life-changing meeting with the good folks at the Indian Institute of Spices Research.

A lot of processing of doubts and fears later, 23 year old Sana founded Diaspora Co. in the fall of 2017 with just one spice - Pragati Turmeric - sourced from an equally young and idealistic farm partner, our now dear friend Mr. Prabhu Kasaraneni. But from our very first day, the big, audacious dream was to grow a radically new, decidedly delicious and truly equitable spice trade, to push a broken system into an equal exchange, and to have a lot of fun doing it.

Today, we source 30 single origin spices from 150 farms across India and Sri Lanka. We're proud to pay our farm partners an average of 6x above the commodity price. In a system where fair trade is a mere 15% premium, we pay what we believe to be a living wage, an investment in the kind of leadership and land stewardship that will build climate resilience and more delicious food systems.

Being in this community is about connecting deeply with the culture and heritage of the regions that we source from, and about learning as we go. Complicating and deepening what "Made in South Asia" means, and how we tell our own stories of freedom, struggle, and diaspora through food.

With love & in community,
Sana Javeri Kadri

DIASPORA Co.

Team

CEO & FOUNDER
Sana Javeri Kadri
She / Her
Hometown
Mumbai, India
Work Superpower
Telling visual stories & building community through food
India Operations Manager
Sayed Ishtiyaque
He / Him
Hometown
Mumbai, India
Work Superpower
Moving heaven and earth to quickly move freshly harvested spices from our most remote farm partners onto a waiting ship/airplane
Illustrator
Aleesha Nandhra
They / them
Hometown
London, UK
Work Superpower
Tiger depiction department
Marketing Manager
Dena Holper
They / she
Hometown
Humboldt County, CA on unceded Wiyot Land
Work Superpower
Taking the process and running with it
Recipe Editor
Asha Loupy
She / Her
Hometown
Kolkata, India. Raised in Sacramento, CA on unceded Nisenan Land
Work Superpower
Creating and adapting recipes that'll become your best friend in the kitchen!
Director of Operations
Wynne McAuley
She / Her
Hometown
Barrington, Rhode Island on unceded Sowams land
Work Superpower
Guiding spices as they go from port to final product
Director of Sales
Pooja Bag
She / Her
Hometown
Naperville, IL on unceded Kiikaapoi land
Work Superpower
Trello-based magic tricks & using data to drive decisions
Sourcing Manager
Kumud Dadlani
She/Her
Hometown
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Raised in Bombay, India
Work Superpower
Being the bridge between agricultural communities and food culture
Community Coordinator
Reeshna Ibrahim
She / her
Hometown
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Work Superpower
Confident communication with customers despite introvert tendencies
Production Manager
Kartik Pendse
he/him
Hometown
Pune, India
Work Superpower
Producing Coordination / Coordinating Production
Accounting Coordinator
Shruti Palav
she/her
Hometown
Thane, India
Work Superpower
Making accounting magic and keeping us from getting audited
Graphic Designer
Lianne Mendes
She / her
Hometown
Goa, India
Work Superpower
Adding a dash of creativity to the flavourful world of spices 🌶️
Warehouse Manager
Jon Blackwood
He / Him
Hometown
Anchorage, AK on unceded Dena'ina Athabascan Land, & Seattle, WA on unceded Duwamish and Suquamish Land
Work Superpower
Finding the fastest and easiest way to get spices into people's kitchens.
Graphic Designer
Kinshuk Bainss
she / her
Hometown
Amritsar, India
Work Superpower
Shimmying my way through creative blocks
Wholesale Coordinator
Helena Eliza Baby
she / her
Hometown
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
Work Superpower
Stock-blocking half our inventory for wholesalers
E-commerce and Social Coordinator
Miriam Joseph
she / her
Hometown
Kochi, India
Work Superpower
Hustling to keep things spicy
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Nina Clare D'Costa
she / her
Hometown
Bombay & Singapore
Work Superpower
Administrative and Project Management Ninja

Our Board

Board Member
William Rosenzweig
He/him
Bio
William Rosenzweig is an entrepreneur with decades of experience in the food space, so his advice to our team is informed by this multitude of perspectives. From founding The Republic of Tea in 1990 to cultivating early-stage companies focused on health and sustainability to working with students at UC Berkeley, he has seen it all!
Board Member
Ellen Bennet
she/her
Bio
Ellen Marie Bennett is an author, mother and founder of Hedley & Bennett, an LA based culinary brand outfitting some of the best chefs across the country. She lives in LA, CA with her husband Casey, son Nico, their pet pig Oliver, and their chicken Olive oil.
Board Member
Franco Fubini
he/him
Bio
Franco Fubini is Founder/CEO of Natoora, a vertically integrated produce company that delivers high quality and superior tasting products. He is a passionate advocate for radical change across the food system, from transforming the way food is farmed to educating consumers on the impact of their food choices.

Back In-Stock Notification

Add your email address below to receive an email as soon as this becomes available again.

We don't share your information with others.

SPEND MORE TO RECEIVE FREE SHIPPING
HOORAY! you get free shipping!

Cart empty.

You May Also Like:

The Diaspora Tote

The Diaspora Tote

The Flavor Gift Card

The Flavor Gift Card

Card by Maheswari Janarthanan

Card by Maheswari Janarthanan