Age: 25
When Sana Javeri Kadri, 25, who was raised in Mumbai, India, tasted her first (and last) turmeric latte in San Francisco in 2016, she was unpleasantly surprised by the taste. But the experience wasn’t all bad: it led to the launch one year later of Diaspora Co., which she describes as a queer, woman-of-color–owned, online spice-importing business that “moves forth in the spirit of social justice.”
Conducting research in the U.S. and abroad, Javeri Kadri learned that America’s turmeric importers and customers weren’t receiving a quality product, while India’s spice farmers were facing challenges due to middlemen in the import business.
After a crash course at the Indian Institute of Spices, Javeri Kadri met a farmer who was growing an heirloom variety of turmeric—and storing it organically—and her business, which endeavors to put money, equity, and power into the hands of Indian farmers, took off.
Today, she buys the harvest of four organic farmers and has added cardamom, chili, ginger, and pepper to her product line. Diaspora Co. has grown from a company of one to five people and has published a turmeric recipe zine. Recipe books for each product will follow.
Meanwhile, Javeri Kadri confronts challenges head-on. Her farmers have never worked with a woman, so she starts the relationships by providing her purchasing data. In fact, nothing in Javeri Kadri’s background prepared her to be an entrepreneur, she admits, “but you’re making up the solutions and there’s a fun to that. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t crying two hours ago, but I consistently reach out to other women entrepreneurs and am willing to learn from anybody.” —Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a freelancer specializing in food and business.
Photo Credit: Aubrie Pick
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