You’ll Wish You Were a Peppercorn - Sourcing in Southern India

Do you like a hot sauna? Then you’ll wish you were a peppercorn in Divakar’s factory. I saw what a nice cleaning these guys get. Divakar buys his special organic Tellicherry peppercorns from a farm in Wayanad. He brings them back to Kannur and puts them into an autoclave machine, steaming them at 210 degrees to kill any bacteria. It is a special process that few other spice companies use.

To be certain that he has done his job well, each batch of peppercorns are sent out for testing.  We spent time reviewing spice samples. We checked out organic ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, lemongrass, nutmeg and clove. I chewed on a clove. Don’t ever chew on a clove.  Since Divakar formerly supplied The Land of Nod with textiles, I came across a number of bedding and curtain samples that he had developed for us over the years. It was comforting to travel such a distance and see projects that I (and some of you reading along) spent time bringing to market. I could see my past and my future all in one place. Today we are headed to Wayanad to visit the peppercorn farms. I’m excited to see how peppercorns actually grow and to taste different varieties. We’ll be there for a couple of days. I’m glad you’ll be coming along for the ride.