Why Single-Origin Matters and Where It All Began

As we started questioning the origin and quality of our food, it led us to some insane discoveries about how our well stocked kitchen shelves have not only been duped all this while but could also be graced with never-tried before products. And having tasted some of the most flavourful turmeric and eye-watering chilli we knew something had to change. So many rounds of discussions later we found ourselves roaming with farmers in their villages around India and getting their best produce for ya all.

Where it all began....Our very first sourcing

Sure you’ve all come across single-origin coffee or single-origin chocolate. Most likely you’ve also considered how your vegetables are grown and where they come from. Have you however dwelled upon the origin of your spices and pantry staples though?

In recent times, organic food has been all the rage. But there are so many layers to it that consumers are unaware of. Organic does not address two of the most important factors that are often overlooked but equally matter–from where your ingredients have been sourced and if they have been sourced responsibly and fairly. Wait, what? Let us explain this to you in a bit more detail.

A farmer grows a small quantity of a produce, which they will sell to the district’s trader who basically owns a truck and collects the produce from many farmers. That trader then sells it to somebody in a local town who's collecting from ten such traders. That local town businessman then sells it further to a guy with a bigger warehouse who is consolidating the produce from other traders as well. The spices or your pantry essentials are mixed together locally and then mixed together regionally and then eventually they get mixed together in a capital city or a port where the products from potentially hundreds of farmers are packaged for dispatch to other cities. In cities again, there are tens of traders, wholesalers and distributors who receive the goods first and then it is further sold to brands or retailers for the final sale to us peeps. Phew! What a lengthy chain that is. Now by the time the produce finally reaches you it has already changed multiple hands. Most likely, it has been adulterated, mixed with old produce or slightly tampered with. Do we want such spices sitting on our beloved kitchen shelves? Duh no!

We at Be Unfiltered, strive to get you the best single-origin and fair-trade products. Meaning that particular produce has been bought from one farmer only right after it's harvested and there has been no mixing of produce whatsoever. It fosters supply chain transparency because when just one farm is involved in production, it’s easier to know where food comes from and how it was grown. We directly source all our products from the farmer in small batches and deliver it to you. That’s it, we like to keep it short and sweet.

This brings us to another important reason to buy single-origin and fair-trade produce. Better compensation to the farmers and better taste to you. With small batches and ethically produced food, we are able to maintain a strict control on quality and you know you are getting a fresh harvest. This means your ingredients will have a robust flavor that you won’t find in the regular products that have been sitting on the shelf for god knows how long. Your turmeric won't just add color, it'll be bright and flavorful, that rajma you love with your rice will take your meal to a whole new level!

We’re working hard, no actually very hard, towards getting you the best and most sustainably produced food ingredients for your kitchen. We promise you’ll notice a difference. So stay tuned and keep up with us to catch all behind the scenes action, great recipes using our products and of course some fun.

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