Sunday morning, we flew 1.5 hours south to the city of Calicut on the south west coast. My friend and partner-in-pepper and spices, Mr. Divakar, was waiting to pick us up with his nephew Akshay.
I originally met Mr. Divakar in 2002 while running The Land of Nod. I used to buy textiles from him and we became close friends. I never guessed that he'd one day ask me to join him in the spice business.