Born from the
Soil of Assam.
A story about a grandmother's kitchen, a forgotten treasure trove of ingredients, and one burning question that refused to go away.
The Question That
Started Everything
It started in a small kitchen in Guwahati, where our grandmother would grind her own turmeric every morning. The colour was a deep, almost violent gold — nothing like the pale yellow powder sold in stores.
When we asked her where it came from, she described a village in the Meghalaya hills, a two-hour drive away, where farmers had been growing this particular variety — Lakadong — for generations. She had been buying directly from them for forty years.
That single question — "Why does yours taste so different?" — would eventually become the foundation of everything we built.
A Region the World
Had Forgotten
Northeast India is one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Eight states, dozens of indigenous communities, and centuries of agricultural knowledge — yet almost none of it reaches the global market.
The Bhoot Jolokia — Ghost Pepper — was once certified as the world's hottest chilli. It grows wild in Nagaland and Assam, harvested by hand in small batches. The farmers selling it at local mandis earn almost nothing for it.
The black rice from Manipur was once reserved exclusively for royalty — its striking purple colour when cooked comes from anthocyanins, the same compounds found in blueberries. Today, most people have never heard of it.
Our Promise to
the Farmers
Girik Exports was founded on one non-negotiable principle: we pay fair prices, directly to the farmers, with no middlemen. Every product you buy from us goes directly back into the hands of the people who grew it.
We visit every farm we source from. We know the names of the farmers. We know their families. When you buy Laahé Lakadong Turmeric, you are buying something that was ground, packed, and shipped within weeks of harvest — not months.
This is not just a brand. It is a bridge — between the extraordinary biodiversity of Northeast India and the kitchens of people who deserve to taste it.
Taste the Difference.
Every product we sell carries the story of the soil it came from. Try it for yourself.