🌶️ Order Up! A Conversation with Sana Javeri Kadri, Founder of Diaspora Co.
The Diaspora Co. founder on raising kids (and running a successful business!) with flavor, justice, and joy.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, we’re thrilled to spotlight Sana and Diaspora Co. — a company that’s not just sourcing spices, but telling stories, uplifting farmers, and reshaping the way we think about the food and flavors we share - not only this month, but every day. This is the first interview of the month and is available in full for ALL of our Subscribers. We know you’ll love this interview as much as we did!
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Rewriting the Spice Story: Sana Javeri Kadri shares how she’s reclaiming flavor and food systems
If you’ve ever opened a jar of Diaspora Co. turmeric and caught a whiff of sunshine and soil, you already know: this brand is doing something different. It’s not just the freshness — though that’s reason enough to upgrade your spice cabinet. It’s the care, the intention, and the story inside each jar.
Sana Javeri Kadri founded Diaspora Co. in 2017 when she was just 23, fueled by a connection to her home, a deep love of Indian food, a bold sense of justice, and one big question: why were the spices in her pantry so stale, so anonymous, and so disconnected from the people who grew them? Today, Diaspora Co. partners with over 150 farms across India and Sri Lanka to bring single-origin spices to your kitchen — and to radically reimagine the global spice trade in the process.
Sana lives in California with her partner and her bonus kids, and in our conversation, she shared how bonus parenting has changed the way she cooks (hint: less delivery, more haleem and brothy beans in the freezer), what spices she recommends for families just getting started, and why she’ll never give up garlic powder. We also talk about flavor-building, kids who snack on raw mustard seeds, and how she’s trying to raise little humans to appreciate bold taste and big values, one meal at a time.
We’re thrilled to spotlight Sana and Diaspora Co. — a company that’s not just sourcing spices, but telling stories, uplifting farmers, and reshaping the way we think about the food we share.
A special offer from Sana and Diaspora Co.:
The Secret to More Flavorful Family Meals? It’s All in the Spice Rack 🌶️
If you’ve never tasted freshly harvested, single-origin spices, Diaspora Co. is about to change your kitchen forever. Sana founded this small but mighty company that is on a mission to build a better spice trade—one that’s equitable, transparent, and bursting with flavor.
From golden turmeric to sun-dried chillies to cozy chai blends, Diaspora’s spices are sourced directly from small farms across South Asia and are packed with bold, vibrant flavor that makes even simple meals feel special. They’re a perfect match for One Potato families looking to add a little more color (and culture) to weeknight dinners.
Discover your new favorite spices: Shop Diaspora Co. Aranya Black Pepper, Cinnamon, or Turmeric to name just a few!
A Conversation with Sana Javeri Kadri
Introduce Yourself: My name is Sana Javeri Kadri, and I started Diaspora Co. back in 2017 when I was 23 years old. I had this very big idea that I could change the way the spice trade worked—make it fresher, more ethical, more joyful. I had no idea what I was in for.
I moved in with my partner recently, and I now have two stepkids who are two and four. So it’s been a big life transition—going from living on my own to suddenly navigating wake-ups, bedtimes, and a whole lot of toddler chaos. It’s a lot, but it’s also really wonderful. I feel really lucky to be a bonus parent, figuring it out as I go.
Before we get into spices and your work, let’s talk about food and family. Do you have early memories of cooking or sharing meals with your parents or grandparents?
My family background is really mixed—Punjabi, Gujarati, Muslim, Hindu, Jain—which is pretty unusual, especially in India in the ’90s. So for me, food was how I learned about difference. My paternal grandmother’s home had rich, hearty Punjabi and Muslim food. My maternal grandmother made lighter, more austere Jain meals. And then my parents had lived in Berkeley before I was born, so our home cooking had everything from tofu to pesto—very unusual in Mumbai at the time! My mom would be on the hunt for tofu in a city where no one was eating it.
Because labour is inexpensive (and undervalued) in India, most households are able to afford a cook. My grandmothers and my mom all worked, so the cook did most of the day to day cooking at home. Cooking was still special. My dad made an amazing ginger shrimp for Saturday lunches, and every Easter, my mom and I would bake this adorable Easter bread shaped like a bunny, decorated with M&Ms.
One of my clearest memories from early on is at my preschool graduation—no one could find me because I was in the kitchen, eating everyone’s snacks! Classic me. Food was always the thing I was drawn to. We ate lunch and dinner as a family—both my parents would come home from work to eat with my grandparents and me. It’s something I feel so lucky to have had.
Are there any dishes you’re hoping to pass down to your stepkids now?
Khichdi! It’s such a comforting, nourishing dish—just rice and lentils cooked with turmeric, ghee, ginger, and salt. Super simple, one pot, but it has everything—protein, carbs, flavor—and it’s easy on little tummies. Growing up, if I was ever sick or just needed comfort, khichdi was the answer.
It’s already become a go-to in our house. The kids love it! I’m still trying to convince them that it’s even better with cold yogurt on the side—that’s how I always ate it—but they look at me like, yogurt with dinner? Really? We’re getting there.
Do you have any spice scents that instantly bring you back to your childhood?
Absolutely. The smell of chai—specifically cardamom, lemongrass, ginger, and black tea—takes me straight back to mornings in Mumbai. I’d wake up to the sound of my dad stirring his tea in a china cup. That little “ting-ting” of a metal spoon was how I knew it was time for school. He always got me ready in the mornings, and that smell still feels like a hug. Now my partner makes chai often, so that scent lives on in our home.
Let’s talk about the company you’ve built. What was the moment you knew you had to start Diaspora Co.?
It was meeting our turmeric farmer, Prabhu Kasaraneni. He was just a few years older than me at the time, in his late 20s, and he said something that really stuck with me: “Ma’am, I won’t sell to you if you don’t care about how I care for the soil.” That was it.
He grows with so much integrity—for the land, for his workers, for his family, for the customer. He even gives away spices to school kids who visit his farm! I just thought, this is someone I want to work with. I felt like I could help tell his story and sell the incredible product he was growing. That gut feeling that our values aligned? It turned out to be right.
For parents who want to be more intentional with how they talk to their kids about food, how can we begin to teach kids about where spices come from and what it means to “decolonize the spice trade”?
A good place to start is with geography. Spices grow in specific places—cinnamon from Sri Lanka and Vietnam, nutmeg from Indonesia, parts of South India, and Grenada. These ingredients have been traded around the world for thousands of years. But for the last 500 years or so, that trade has been driven by high profit margins, where a few people made a lot of money—often through exploitation and colonization.
So a conversation could start with something simple, like: Where does this come from? Who grew it? And then, Did the people who grew it get paid fairly? These are questions we can all start asking—adults and kids alike. It’s about making the supply chain visible, and inviting our kids into that awareness.
That’s such a powerful way to frame it. You’ve talked before about the safety of spices too—especially for families. Can you speak to that?
Yes—this was actually one of the first things that shocked me. Most store-bought spices are five to seven years old by the time they reach your pantry. That’s a long time for something that’s going into your food every day, especially if you’re cooking for little ones.
Beyond being stale, a lot of those spices are contaminated—lead, mercury, mold, yeast, you name it. So at Diaspora Co., we lab test every harvest from every single farm. We work with over 150 family farms and pay them, on average, four times the commodity price. That premium goes toward building a more just and sustainable system. And in return? You get spices that taste like nothing you’ve had before. Our cinnamon is wild. Our turmeric is floral and bright. It’s the kind of flavor that makes you fall in love with cooking again.
Diaspora Co. spices are known for their flavor and freshness. If someone’s just starting to upgrade their spice cabinet, where should they begin?
My top five: black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, and coriander.
Start with pepper. If you’ve got pre-ground black pepper, toss it. Get a $20 pepper mill and grind fresh vine-ripened peppercorns. It’s flavorful, fruity, and not too spicy — great starting point for kids.
Next is turmeric. It’s anti-inflammatory, especially good for little ones, but conventional turmeric often has lead contamination. Ours is tested and clean. Pro tip: Pair it with pepper and a little heat — think turmeric rice in the rice cooker with a dash of pepper.
Cinnamon is another easy win. Look for cinnamon verum (not cassia), which has antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. We use it in waffles all the time.
Garlic powder? The most versatile. Our version is super potent and makes everything better — grilled chicken, roasted veggies, you name it.
And coriander is a bonus pick! It's lemony, a little crunchy, and fun for kids. We toast it in ghee and sprinkle it on veggies or roast it with potatoes and carrots.
Also: let your kids smell everything! It’s how mine got curious about what we cook with and eventually learned the difference between spiced and spicy.
It sounds like those tips also help kids get used to new flavors — and help grown-ups learn how to taste and adjust while cooking.
We’re always asking: “What does this need?” More acid? Salt? Toasted coriander? It’s a slow build, but even the kids are getting the hang of it. One of them snacks on raw black mustard seeds now! Opening jars, smelling spices, tasting — that’s the gateway.
Running Diaspora Co. is such a values-driven business. Has that changed the way you eat at home?
Definitely. We eat seasonally, shop from farmers and BIPOC producers when we can, and spend way more on groceries than anything else. It’s our biggest line item. But we eat out less, buy in bulk, and make it work because it matters to us. It’s how we live our values.
What’s one kitchen skill every home cook should learn?
Use your freezer! I batch-cook big meals — like haleem (a savory porridge, I like to make a goat, lentil, and rice version) or chicken broth — and freeze single portions. It means we always have something nourishing on hand, without eating the same meal five nights in a row.
Any last things we should know about Diaspora Co.?
We’re now in 500 stores across the U.S., and you can always shop online — orders ship fast. I placed a sumac emergency order on a Friday morning, and it showed up bright and early Monday morning! We also just launched in the UK, so if you’re in London, come say hi.