Organic Cardamom Powder (Certified Fairtrade)

Our organic cardamom powder is imported in small batches from a fairtrade certified exporter from the Wayanad district in the Kerala state, India. Our cardamom powder is made from green cardamom "Elettaria cardamomum" also known as true cardamom. It is the top choice for sweet dishes but also works well in savory dishes. The taste is strong, some say it tastes like a combination of ginger and cinnamon. Others say it has a more unique, minty taste with hints of lemon.

Cardamom is used in meat and vegetable curries desserts, and all manner of recipes. In Sweden and most Scandinavian countries it is very common in baked goods, the intoxicating aroma filling the house when they're in the oven. Cardamom plants are a relative of ginger and can grow to be five to ten feet tall. Harvesting cardamom is done entirely by hand, hence the hefty price tag.

Cardamom is considered to be one of the world's oldest spices. The use of this spice dates back at least 4000 years. Ancient Egyptians used Cardamom for many medicinal purposes, as part of rituals and even for embalming. They chewed cardamom pods as a way to help keep their breath minty and to help clean their teeth. The Greeks and Romans used Cardamom for its pungent aroma. It was a main ingredient in perfumes and aromatic oils. Vikings first discovered this spice during their travels and brought it back to Scandinavia.

Cardamom originally came from wild plants located in the Western Ghats in Southern India. The plants grew in such abundance in this region that this area became known as Cardamom Hills. During the 19th century, plantations of cardamom were set up by British colonists and this is where much of the green and black cardamom that we use still comes from today. Guatemala is the biggest commercial producer of cardamom. In some parts of Guatemala, it is considered even more valuable than coffee as a crop.

What does Fairtrade certification mean?

• Fairtrade products are far more than just fair prices, they create sustainable impact in three interconnected areas: economic, social, and environmental. These are known as the three pillars of sustainability:
• Economic: Fairtrade sets economic Standards for farmers and workers to benefit from income security and financial independence. These include the Fairtrade Minimum Price for most commodities, which aims to provide producers with a safety net against falling prices, along with the Fairtrade Premium that provides producers with additional money to invest as they choose. Fairtrade also emphasizes long-term partnerships that help yield sustainable and decent livelihoods.
• Environmental: Environmental criteria emphasize ecologically and agriculturally sound practices, including responsible water and waste management, preserving biodiversity and soil fertility, minimal use of pesticides, and the prohibition of the use of GMOs. Organic production is promoted and rewarded by higher Fairtrade Minimum Prices for organically grown products.
• Social: Social criteria for small-scale producers include requirements on democratic self-organization, participatory decision-making, transparency, and non-discrimination. For hired labour, our Standards require non-discriminatory employment practices, fair pay, freedom of association, and safeguards for worker health and safety. Forced labour and child labour are prohibited under the Fairtrade Standards.

Who is BioWin?

• Biowin Agro research Wayanad Coffee and Spices is our choice partner for Fairtrade spices and freeze-dried fruit in India. BioWin was founded in 2013, their mission is to renovate the region's agricultural sector by promoting organic farming and guaranteeing fair incomes for producers. Today, some 16,000 farmers benefit from their training and advice in organic farming. This training enables farmers, for example, to produce their own natural fertilizers. Biowin also supervises the harvests, guaranteeing a purchase price between 25% and 50% above the market price. The crops are then transported to the Bioland processing plant, where they are treated to the highest quality standards.
• Located in the south-west Indian state of Kerala. More specifically, in the Wayanad district, a mountainous region with fertile soil watered by the monsoon, where not only famous spices grow, but also fruit, coffee, tea, rubber trees and much more.
• Unfortunately, intensive farming methods and the excessive use of chemical pesticides since the '90s have caused serious environmental damage and led to the ruin of many farming families. Driven by agro-industrial traders, farmers went into debt to buy pesticides, without making any profit from their crops. In the early 2000s, the Wayanad region was infamous for having the highest farmer suicide rate in India!
• Many of the producers are women who have taken over the farm following the suicide of their husbands, as well as people from ethnic minorities. In addition to the above-market price received by these producers, Fairtrade premiums enable a number of achievements: health programs, house building, distribution of tree seedlings, and the production and distribution of organic fertilizer.