Our sourcing
We started because the pepper was disappointing.
Two of us grew up an hour from some of the best pepper vines in the world, and still ended up cooking with grey dust from a supermarket grinder. It took an embarrassingly long time to work out why.
Spice is a commodity trade. A grower sells to an aggregator, who sells to an exporter, who sells to a packer, who mills to order for a supermarket chain. At every step the incentive is volume and shelf-life, not aroma — and aroma is the first thing to go.
By the time a jar reaches your kitchen it has usually been ground for somewhere between nine and twenty months, stored under fluorescent light, and cut with anti-caking agents so it pours nicely. It is not that it’s bad. It’s that it’s barely there.
We buy differently. We work with 38 grower families across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Kashmir, agree a grade and a price before the season, and pay above the market rate for spice that meets it. Everything arrives whole. It stays whole, in cold storage, until an order comes in.
Then we mill in small batches on a cold-grind mill, seal within four hours into light-blocking pouches, and print the grind date on the back so you can hold us to it. That’s the whole model. It is less efficient and more expensive, and it is the only part that actually matters.
What we will not do
Blend origins quietly
If a pouch says Wayanad, everything in it came from Wayanad. Mixed-origin lots get sold as mixed-origin lots.
Add fillers
No rice flour, no anti-caking agents, no colourants. Our chilli clumps a bit in humidity. That's what chilli does.
Grind ahead of demand
We would rather sell out of garam masala for four days than ship you something milled last spring.
Practicalities
Shipping, returns and the boring bits
How fast do you ship?
Orders placed before 2pm go out the same working day. Delivery is 2–4 working days across India, free above ₹799 and ₹59 below that.
What if I don't like it?
Tell us within 30 days and we'll refund you — opened pouches included. We don't ask you to ship it back; that's more carbon than it's worth.
How long will it keep?
Whole spice holds well for 18–24 months if you keep it sealed and out of the light. Ground spice is at its best within about three months of the grind date on the pouch.
Do you ship internationally?
Not yet. We're working through the customs paperwork for the UK and UAE and expect to open those first.
Can I buy wholesale?
Yes — we supply around forty restaurants. Email hello@malabarandco.com with rough monthly volumes and we'll send a trade list.