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It depends on the product and the packing. Most whole and ground spices move economically at one 20ft container load, which is roughly 12–18 MT depending on bulk density. High-value items such as green cardamom, saffron-adjacent goods and mace are quoted in far smaller lots, and part-container consolidation is possible where several lines ship together.

Tell us the item, the volume you are planning and the destination, and we will say what is workable rather than quote a number that suits us.

Yes, and we would rather you sent one. A written specification is what makes a second shipment match the first. If you do not have one, we will draft it from the way you describe the application and send it back for approval before the order is confirmed.

How to write a spice specification a supplier can hold sets out what a complete one covers.

Yes. Samples are drawn from current stock and couriered so you can test against your own standard. They are indicative of the material available at that time. The approved sample together with the written specification is what defines the shipment that follows.

For a first order we generally recommend approving a pre-shipment sample from the actual lot as well, particularly for colour-led or aroma-led items.

As standard: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of analysis for the lot, certificate of origin, and an insurance certificate where the Incoterms rule places insurance with us.

Phytosanitary certificates, fumigation or treatment certificates, health certificates, preferential origin certificates and Halal or Kosher certification are arranged where the contract or the destination requires them. Shipping, Delivery and Documentation lists the full set.

Ask for the laboratory’s name and accreditation number, the full panel of results rather than a pass/fail summary, the lot number it relates to, and the date the sample was drawn. All four should match the shipment in front of you.

A certificate with no date, or one whose lot number does not appear on the bags, is not evidence about your goods. You are also free to appoint your own inspection agency to draw and test samples before shipment at your cost.

Normally an irrevocable letter of credit at sight, advance payment by telegraphic transfer, or documents against payment through banking channels. Which of these applies is agreed at order confirmation and stated on the proforma invoice.

If you intend to pay by letter of credit, send us the draft before it is opened. Reviewing it takes ten minutes; amending a credit after issue costs money and time on both sides.

FOB, CFR and CIF are the most common for ocean shipments, with FCA and CPT used for air and for buyers who prefer to control carriage. EXW and DAP are available where they suit the buyer.

One point worth knowing: under CIF the insurance we are obliged to provide is the minimum cover that rule requires, while under CIP it is all-risks. If you want wider cover or a higher insured value, say so before the contract is confirmed so it can be priced in.

Yes. Buyer-branded consumer packs are filled, labelled and cartoned to your artwork. We print to your specification and your instructions.

What we cannot do is verify that your artwork satisfies the food-labelling law of a market we do not sell into. Declared ingredients, allergen statements, nutrition panels, language requirements and date marking are the importer’s responsibility to specify. Send the requirements with the artwork and they will be followed exactly.

Material destined for the European Union has to be tested against the EU panel specifically, at a laboratory accredited to run it, on the actual lot being shipped and before the container is stuffed. A certificate stating compliance with Indian standards tells an EU buyer very little, because the two frameworks set different numbers.

Tell us the destination market at enquiry so the specification and the pre-shipment testing are written against it. EU residue limits: what actually stops an Indian spice consignment explains where consignments usually fail.

Yes, where the buyer requires it. Ethylene oxide is not available for EU-bound goods, and steam is the mainstream replacement.

It is worth agreeing the treatment before the first order rather than after a microbiological result, because steam changes the product: volatile oil falls, colour can shift in green herbs, and the material has to be re-dried. The specification should state the method, the target reduction and the post-treatment values. Steam sterilisation and the end of ethylene oxide covers the trade-offs.

Allow two to four weeks from order confirmation to readiness for goods held in regular grades, and longer where cleaning, grading, grinding, blending, sterilisation or custom packing is involved, or where the item is bought at harvest.

Ocean transit adds roughly two to three weeks to the Gulf, three to five to Europe, and four to six to the east coast of North America. Firm dates are those in the order confirmation.

Notify us within the periods set out in our Quality, Testing and Claims Policy: seven days from discharge for shortage and visible condition, fourteen days for quality. Hold the goods without processing or selling them until the claim is resolved.

We keep sealed representative samples of every shipped lot for twelve months and test them against the same parameter and method. Where the two results conflict materially, either side can call for a binding analysis by an agreed independent laboratory.

Directly in the producing belts rather than through a chain of traders: pepper and cardamom in Kerala, chilli in Guntur and the Byadgi belt, cumin through Unjha, turmeric from Erode and Nizamabad.

The practical point is not romance about origin. Buying at the growing region is what makes crop year and origin recordable per lot instead of assumed, and a specification that names a region is only enforceable if the supplier knows which region the material came from.

For most items, yes, subject to agreement at the time of contract. Several of these crops have a single harvest and a price that moves with it, so buyers with a known annual requirement often contract a volume at harvest and call it off through the year.

Shelf life sets the limit. Ground material and green cardamom lose aroma and colour faster than whole spices, so long holding periods suit some lines and not others.