Unpacked by AFAR · Friday, September 4, 2026
Sana Javeri Kadri founded Diaspora Spice Co. in 2017 to address the centuries-old, exploitative spice trade. By establishing direct relationships with regenerative farmers in India and Sri Lanka, the company has paid farmers an average of four times the commodity price, totaling $4 million since 2020.
“So she built something totally new. Direct relationships with farmers across India and Sri Lanka who grow spices like turmeric, cardamom, and cinnamon.”
“So, basically the West coast of India and ancient Roman Egypt have been like hanging out and sharing recipes and sharing ingredients for 4,000 years. And as far as we know, that was an equitable trade.”
“So we work with 140 regenerative farmers across India and Sri Lanka and we've been able to pay those farmers an average of 4X above the commodity price.”