Farm to Bottle: How Girik Exports Sources Directly from Northeast Indian Farmers
Most spice brands have no idea which farm their products came from. They buy through brokers, who buy from aggregators, who buy from wholesale markets where product from dozens of farms is blended together. By the time a jar of turmeric reaches a shelf in Dubai or New York, it may have passed through six different hands and spent a year in storage.
Why Direct Sourcing Matters
Direct sourcing is not simply an ethical choice — though it is that too. It is a quality imperative. When we source directly from a farming family in the Jaintia Hills, we know exactly when the turmeric was harvested, how it was dried, and how long it has been in storage. We can specify the variety, the processing method, and the packaging requirements. None of this is possible through a commodity supply chain.
The Farmers We Work With
Our current network includes farming families across four states: Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Manipur. In Meghalaya, we work with a cooperative of Lakadong turmeric farmers in the Jaintia Hills who have been cultivating this variety for generations. In Nagaland, we source our Bhoot Jolokia from tribal farming families who harvest entirely by hand. In Manipur, our black rice comes from traditional Meitei farmers cultivating Chak-hao using centuries-old methods.
Fair Pricing and Long-Term Relationships
We pay above market rates — consistently. This is not charity; it is a business decision. Farmers who receive fair prices invest in better practices, better yields, and better quality. They do not need to cut corners to survive. The relationship is mutually beneficial and designed to be permanent. We are not looking for the cheapest source. We are looking for the best source, and we are willing to pay for it.
What This Means for You
When you buy a product from Laahé, you are participating in a supply chain that is genuinely different from the global commodity system. You are buying something that was grown by people we know, in soil we have visited, processed within weeks of harvest, and shipped directly to you with full traceability. That is what farm to bottle actually means. Not a label. A practice.