Spices and spice seeds — graded for processors
Four spice lines anchor Kehkashan's processor book: dried chilli, fennel, fenugreek and panicum. Chilli is graded by SHU and ASTA color; fennel by volatile-oil percentage; fenugreek by purity and moisture. Variety codes — Teja S17, Sannam S4, Byadgi, Lucknow 36 — drive pricing on every RFQ.
Top buying countries
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq lead Gulf re-export demand on Teja and Sannam chilli. Vietnam and Bangladesh buy chilli powder feedstock. Türkiye and Iran take fennel for confectionery. Yemen, Oman and Egypt anchor fenugreek demand. Morocco re-exports fennel into European retail.
Key varieties to know
Chilli: Teja S17 high-heat, Sannam S4 / 334 medium, Byadgi colour, Wrinkled 273, Guntur extractor grade, Kashmiri ornamental. Fennel: Lucknow 36 sweet, GF-1 and GF-2 hybrid, Rajendra Saurabh. Fenugreek: AM-1 and AM-2 from Rajasthan and Gujarat. Each ships against an EU aflatoxin COA.
Logistics overview
Spice lots ship from Jebel Ali in 25 kg PP bag, 40–50 kg jute bag or export cartons. Lead time runs 14 to 21 days from PO confirmation. Container density is 16 to 20 metric tonnes per 20-foot full container. Cool-chain LCL is available for chilli powder feedstock.
Quality assurance protocol
Every chilli lot carries a third-party SHU certificate, ASTA color count where Byadgi, moisture under 10% and aflatoxin tested against EU 2023/915. Fennel and fenugreek ship with purity, moisture, admixture and volatile-oil specs. Buyer counter-samples may be drawn under SGS or Bureau Veritas before vessel.
Sourcing mix and origin discipline
India anchors the chilli, fennel and fenugreek book through Andhra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan stations. Türkiye, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria back-fill on fennel. Iran ships niche fennel and fenugreek lots. Multi-origin consolidation lands on a single bill of lading from Jebel Ali.
Pricing tiers driven by SHU, ASTA and origin
Chilli pricing tracks SHU band on Teja, ASTA color on Byadgi, and aflatoxin tier on every lot. EU-compliant lots carry a freight-route premium versus GCC-only lots. Fennel pricing tracks volatile-oil percentage. Fenugreek pricing tracks purity and moisture. Variety code on the RFQ tells us which tier the buyer is asking for.
Buyer profiles we serve
Gulf masala packers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait buy mixed-load chilli in 20-foot FCL once a quarter. Vietnamese chilli powder mills order Teja in 40-foot FCL monthly. Turkish confectionery houses buy Lucknow 36 fennel. Egyptian re-export houses rotate fenugreek into Yemen and Sudan retail.
Sample-first policy on spices
Every new spice buyer programme runs against a 500 g sample shipped Jebel Ali to address by courier. SHU and ASTA values certify on a third-party lab card. Aflatoxin pre-screen runs against EU regulation 2023/915. Sample fees credit against the first FCL on acceptance. Production stays on hold until the buyer signs off the COA.