Our new ginger powder is here! Basiya Ginger is fresh, subtly sweet, and SO FRAGRANT! Open your tin, and you will be greeted by a sweet, fiery, spicy scent that will waft through your kitchen and last up to 6 months after the spice has been milled! Basiya Ginger is perfect for baking, in a stiff cup of chai and even in a salad dressing—some very yummy recipe inspo coming your way from our recipe developer Asha this week!
If you’ve been here a while, you probably know of our Makhir Ginger. Starting today, Basiya will be replacing it. While we loved Makhir Ginger, the group we were working with was sourcing exclusively for us and having trouble making the economics of production make sense, even with our premium pricing. They've voluntarily shifted focus to other crops, so we’ve been on the hunt for something just as special—and we’re confident that Basiya Ginger is the perfect fit! Basiya is more vibrant and fragrant, and will add a bright zing to anything you use it in.
Basiya Ginger is grown in the 200-acre Vivavan Food Forest in the Amarwara region in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It’s planted in June and harvested in January and February before the harsh summer heat dries the soil. Once harvested, the ginger is sliced into chips and sun-dried before it is ground into a fine powder. This isn’t ginger that’s available in the market—Basiya is what the local farmers in Amarwara have been growing and eating themselves for generations aka it’s the ginger they trust and love!
Our Basiya Ginger is grown by Svaguna Foods, a family-owned business that grows a variety of spices, produce and grains at farms across India. Svaguna began with the aim of reforesting various regions in the country, and the food trees and crops were originally planted to facilitate the maintenance of those forests while also providing sustainable livelihoods to locals. Viva stands for “long live” and van means “forest” in Hindi, so Vivavan essentially means “long live the forest”🥹. Basiya is what the ginger is called locally and could be a derivative of the word desiya (or desi). At Vivavan, the ginger grows in dappled sunlight, under the canopy of forest trees, such as sal and mahua, and food-producing trees like mango, moringa (drumstick), fig, and tuvar dal (pigeon pea)—a truly diverse and resilient ecosystem that supports the land and the communities that call it home🌿
The farmers often use it to make a healing herbal concoction by boiling water with grated or sliced Basiya ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass, or to make a sweet tomato-ginger chutney. I recommend using it to make my Kadak Spicy Chai or Asha’s Double Ginger & Date Granola (warm, gingerbread vibes in your daily morning granola!). Asha has also developed a brand new, fantastic salad recipe that you’ll receive in your inbox this Saturday—it features ginger, miso and citrus👀
Happy cooking!
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P.S. If you're a stockist or restaurant/cafe interested in our spices, now’s a great time to buy from us! We’re participating in the Faire Winter Market from 1/22-1/24—that means discounts, perks and more! Here’s how it works:
- Spend $200 → Get 10% off
- Spend $350 → Get 15% off
- Spend $500+ → Get 20% off
Bonus Perk: Spend $500+ and enjoy FREE SHIPPING!
Every order during the Winter Market also includes a special gift🎁 We’re giving away our bright marigold yellow Bageecha Tees for only $0.01. Simply add your preferred size to your cart and we’ll ship them with your order!
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Diaspora Co. 6631 Saroni Drive Oakland, California 94611 |
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