The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook: Redefining the Spice Trade Through Flavor and Equity

For most consumers, the spices in their kitchen cabinets are anonymous commodities. We know they come from “somewhere,” but the details of who grew them, how they were paid, and whether the flavor has survived a convoluted supply chain are rarely discussed. Sana Javeri Kadri and Asha Loupy are changing that narrative with the release of The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook: Seasonal Home Cooking From South Asia’s Best Spice Farms.

Published on March 3, 2026, by Harvest/William Morrow, the cookbook is less of a glossy accessory and more of a manifesto for a fairer food system. It blends culinary instruction with systemic critique, aiming to reconnect the home cook with the actual labor and land behind every pinch of turmeric or cinnamon.

More Than a Recipe Book: The Mission of Diaspora Spice Co.

To understand the cookbook, one must first understand the infrastructure of Diaspora Spice Co. Sana Javeri Kadri founded the company in 2017 at the age of 23 after identifying two critical failures in the American spice market: the products on shelves were stale, and the farmers producing them were severely underpaid.

Diaspora has since disrupted the traditional spice trade by aggressively shortening the supply chain. While the commodity chain typically involves seven steps, Diaspora has reduced it to three: Farmer → Diaspora → You. This structural shift allows the company to pay farmers an average of four times the commodity price, ensuring that the people growing the spices are not erased from the process.

Today, the company maintains partnerships with approximately 140 farm partners across India and Sri Lanka, focusing on single-origin products—such as their Pragati turmeric—that prioritize freshness and equity.

Inside The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook

Written by Sana Javeri Kadri and recipe editor Asha Loupy, and photographed by Melati Citrawireja, the cookbook serves as a continuation of Diaspora’s mission. It features 85 recipes that weave together flavor-forward cooking with cultural context and the stories of the farmers themselves.

Meen Moilee: A Taste of Coastal Kerala

One of the standout examples of the book’s cultural depth is the inclusion of Meen Moilee. This mild, gentle fish stew is a staple of coastal Kerala, India. According to Kadri, the dish is ubiquitous in Syrian Christian homes, representing a specific regional and community heritage that often goes unnoticed in broader Western interpretations of South Asian cuisine.

The recipes are designed to be adaptable, inviting cooks to experiment with confidence while honoring the origins of the ingredients. By collaborating with 20 farm partners for the book, the authors ensure that the storytelling remains rooted in the reality of the farmers’ lives.

A Values-Driven Approach to Business

Beyond the recipes, the leadership of Diaspora Spice Co. Emphasizes a business model rooted in equity and identity. In a recent appearance on the That Ate podcast, Kadri and Loupy discussed how queerness shapes their approach to leadership and accountability. For them, building a values-driven company means ensuring that the ethics of the business are lived out in every transaction, from the farm gate to the consumer’s kitchen.

Conclusion: The Future of Conscious Cooking

The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook is more than a guide to South Asian flavors; it is a blueprint for how the food industry can operate with transparency and respect. By centering the farmer and the origin of the spice, Sana Javeri Kadri and Asha Loupy are challenging cooks to consider the human cost of their ingredients. As the industry moves toward greater accountability, Diaspora’s model of direct trade and cultural storytelling provides a vital example of how to blend profit with genuine equity.