Diaspora (spice company)

Diaspora Co.

Company type	Private
Industry	Food and drink
Founded	August 2017 (2017-08)
Founder	Sana Javeri Kadri
Headquarters	Oakland , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Sana Javeri Kadri (Founder)
Products	Spices and spice blends

Diaspora Co., which also operates under the name Diaspora Spice Co., is a privately held enterprise established in August 2017 by Indian-American entrepreneur Sana Javeri Kadri. The company's headquarters are located in Oakland, California. Diaspora Co. focuses on procuring spices directly from small-scale farmers throughout Southeast Asia, with the goal of transforming the conventional spice industry by emphasizing cultural connection, fairness, and enjoyment.

History

Sana Javeri Kadri, who hails from Mumbai, completed her studies at Pomona College where she gained experience working on an organic farm. In 2016, after observing that turmeric from Mumbai exhibited higher quality than that available in the United States, she traveled from Oakland to India to source premium turmeric. This experience inspired her to launch Diaspora Co., a business model centered on direct trade relationships with small family farms, eliminating middlemen.

The inaugural product offered by the company was turmeric obtained from Kasaraneni Prabhu, a fourth-generation farmer based in Andhra Pradesh who employs pesticide-free and traditional cultivation practices. Kadri discovered distinctive turmeric varieties characterized by exceptional fragrance, color, yield, and curcumin levels that were not commercially accessible.

Following initial media attention and endorsements from notable figures such as cookbook author Julia Turshen, Diaspora initiated a Kickstarter campaign to introduce Baraka cardamom—a wild, pest-resistant variety native to Kerala’s rainforests. The product range further expanded in 2019 to include Aranya pepper and Guntur Sannam chilies. By 2020, Diaspora’s catalog featured 10 different spices; this number increased to 20 by the close of 2021. Presently, the company offers more than 40 spices and blends sourced from upwards of 200 family farms.

In July 2022, Diaspora successfully raised $2.1 million in capital aimed at advancing its model of equitable spice trade.

Equity

Kadri blends her Indian roots with her Oakland background by fostering a radically inclusive culture at Diaspora. The company actively supports marginalized groups through intentional recruitment and ethical trade policies. Emphasizing fair compensation through its proprietary "Diaspora Co Model," the firm prioritizes hiring queer people of color and ensures farmers receive equitable payment rather than following traditional commodity pricing structures. Instead of collaborating with large-scale packers, Diaspora employs local workers directly, thereby benefiting numerous Indian farmers and providing American consumers with a just approach to spice sourcing and distribution. Prabhu’s sustainable agricultural methods—producing turmeric with higher curcumin content while using less water—are encouraging neighboring farmers to reduce pesticide use, resulting in improved crop yields and healthier soil conditions.