It starts with responsibly sourcing single-origin spice crops from our partner farmers. Generations-old family farms use traditional growing methods to cultivate crops such as Nutmeg in the volcanic soil of Matale, Sri Lanka, just as easily as Sumac berry in the arid earth of the Negev desert in Israel.

We craft our spice blends in small batches by gently toasting the raw, whole spices to bring their essential oils to the surface, thereby maximizing their flavor profile. Once cooled, we grind the spices to intensely release those same oils, amplifying their freshness in the process. Immediately afterwards, we hand-blend the spices together, leaving them sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Through this process, we pay respect to the craft of spice-blending and honor our namesake, Calicut, India. Nicknamed “The City of Spices”, Calicut was the major trading port for moving eastern spices west towards Europe. So renowned were the region’s spice farmers and artisans, and so coveted were their crops, that the city helped launch the Age of Discovery. Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch expeditions sailed to the port to trade for the city’s revered spices, eventually bringing them to America through European colonial settlements.

And as Calicut once introduced handcrafted spices to America, we thought a reunion might be in order."