Date:05/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/05/stories/2005030501741000.htm

Back Direct sale of Flavourit spices from today

G.K. Nair

The products can be booked at head post offices.

Kochi , March 4

WITH the launching of the "Flavourit" brand premium Indian spices for worldwide direct sale, probably for the first time in Indian spices trade, these products could be booked through the head post offices (HPOs) in the country.

The marketing of the "Flavourit" would be undertaken by M/s STCL Ltd (formerly Spices Trading Corporation Ltd) and is being done in partnership with the India Posts, IDBI, HDFC, UTI and Citibank.

There would be a dedicated online system for delivery anywhere in the world.

The Kerala Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, will officially launch the brand at a function here on Saturday.

The introduction of the "Flavourit" brand of spices, promoted and quality assured by the Spices Board "is an attempt to re-establish their identity and get for our spice growers a fair share of the value realised in the spices trade," Mr C.J. Jose, Chairman, Spices Board told Business Line.

"The launching of Flavourit aims at providing marketing channel for growers of cardamom, vanilla and pepper and more particularly to those who have taken up organic production of spices with encouragement of the Board in as much as the spices would be directly procured from spice farmers' groups," he said. Other spices would be gradually added to the menu.

Surpluses generated from the business would be ploughed back in promoting the demand for these and other Indian spices worldwide. In the process, "we hope to establish the identity of Indian vanilla, a recent introduction of an exotic spice hitherto confined to the Bourbon and some other islands of Polynesia, to the Indian soil."

He said Flavourit brand of Indian vanilla were of gourmet quality, non-split pods, 15 cm or more long, whole, sound, supple and full of typical flavour, of uniform dark, chocolate brown to reddish colour and without any stain. Moisture content shall not exceed 38 per cent and vanillin content not less than 1.75 per cent.

It also seeks to establish the identity of the once popular Indian spice grades such as Tellicherry Garbled Extra Bold pepper and Alleppey Green Extra Bold cardamom.

He said it was an attempt to ensure remunerative prices to the spice growers.