Sankhuwasabha, Nepal·1,100–1,500m Altitude·Direct Export
Single-origin Amomum subulatum from Sankhuwasabha, Nepal's premium cardamom district. Lab-certified aflatoxin below 5ppb, in two cures: smoke-free flue-dried, or traditional Bhatti. Supplying spice importers, private label packers, and food manufacturers across the UAE, Europe, and North America.
Each route has its own page, with the products, the pricing, and the paperwork written for how you actually buy.
Bulk pricing, Incoterms, full documentation. MOQ from 25kg, best rates from 2,000kg+.
Jars and pouches, fixed pricing, no minimum order. Ships worldwide in days, not weeks.
Black cardamom, known locally as alaichi, has grown in the eastern Himalayan hills of Nepal for over 150 years. The Sankhuwasabha district, where our farms are located, sits between 1,100 and 1,500 metres above sea level. The altitude, humidity, and soil composition of this region produce cardamom with a distinctively rich aroma and naturally high eucalyptol content.
For decades, almost all of this cardamom crossed the border into Siliguri, India, where it was processed, blended with cardamom from Sikkim and Bhutan, and re-exported to the Gulf and Europe under an Indian certificate of origin. That route has not gone away: India still absorbs around 99% of Nepal's large cardamom exports. The Nepali farmers earned the farm gate price. The Indian re-exporter captured the premium.
CardamomNepal, a brand of Arun Valley Exports Pvt. Ltd. changes that. We process at source, test at source, document at source, and ship direct to your warehouse. The margin the middleman was capturing becomes a better price for you and a better income for our farming families.
Sources: Kathmandu Post, June 2026
Sourced from a defined farm cluster in Sankhuwasabha, not blended and re-processed in Siliguri.
Every batch is traceable to the harvest season and the farming cooperative that grew it. When your customer asks where it came from, you have a real answer, backed by an FNCCI certificate of origin rather than an Indian re-export document.
Every shipment carries a third-party ISO lab report, so your lot clears EU and GCC entry on its own paperwork.
The report confirms aflatoxin B1 against the EU and GCC mandatory limit, pesticide residues against EU and UAE MRLs, and moisture against the line your lot was cured on: below 9% flue-dried, up to 12% Bhatti-cured. PAH is measured either way, non-detect on the flue line and disclosed on Bhatti lots.
Your freight forwarder receives a complete document set. No chasing, no delays at customs.
We prepare and provide the Phytosanitary Certificate (Nepal Department of Agriculture), FNCCI Certificate of Origin, ISO lab report, commercial invoice, packing list, and fumigation certificate, all issued and emailed before the shipment leaves Kathmandu.
Minimum order is 25kg, one jute sack, with a free 200–500g sample before you commit.
We supply specialty buyers, restaurant chains, private label packers, and large-volume importers. Running a pilot before committing to volume? Request a sample for your quality team to assess independently before placing your first order.
Whole pods, ground powder, bulk sacks, private label, sourced from a single origin, processed to export standard, shipped with full documentation.
Grade 1BestsellerThe largest grade we offer, preferred by Gulf spice blenders and biryani manufacturers.
Bold grade pods run 22 to 28mm in length, uniformly dried to below 9% moisture with tails cleanly clipped. Specified by hotel procurement teams across the Gulf. Packed in sealed 25kg jute sacks with a polythene inner liner.
WholesaleStandard B2B format: fifty sacks to a pallet, palletised for air freight or sea container.
Suitable for spice mills, private label packers, and wholesale distributors. Each lot is accompanied by its ISO lab report, and the format is available in Bold, Medium, and Fine grades by request.
Bulk product for spice companies and importers who pack under their own brand.
Also supplied for hypermarket private label programmes. Our documentation set is complete and compliant, so your quality team, procurement manager, and customs broker each have what they need without a follow-up request.
Ground from whole Bold grade pods immediately before packing, never from older stock.
Mesh size is standardised for spice blend manufacturing and packed in moisture-proof multilayer packaging, ISO lab certified per batch. Available in 1kg, 5kg, and 25kg formats.
Free from agricultural pests, diseases, and regulated organisms. Mandatory for UAE MOCCAE import clearance.
Product is of Nepali origin, which enables Nepal-specific tariff treatment and the single-origin provenance claim.
Aflatoxin B1 below 5ppb (UAE and EU mandatory limit). Tested per lot.
Moisture is certified against the line your lot was cured on: ≤ 9% flue-dried, ≤ 12% Bhatti-cured. Both sit below the threshold for mould growth in transit and long-term storage.
PAH is measured and reported on every lot: non-detect on the flue-dried line, and disclosed on Bhatti-cured lots, which EU Regulation 2023/915 does not set a dried-spice PAH limit for. Pesticide residues below EU and UAE MRL limits.
Full certification documents are available on request for all buyers. Anonymised lab report samples are available on our Quality & Certifications page.
Sankhuwasabha is a mountainous district in eastern Nepal, cut through by the Arun River. High altitude, heavy monsoon rainfall, and cool temperatures make it ideal for large cardamom, and it is one of four eastern districts that together produce over 80% of Nepal's annual harvest.
Our farms sit between 1,100 and 1,500 metres, shade-grown under alder trees (Alnus nepalensis) and hand-harvested in September and October at full maturity.
Pods are cured within six hours of picking, on one of two lines. Which one your lot runs on is a specification you choose, not a detail we decide for you.
The district borders Tibet to the north and sits alongside Taplejung, Panchthar, and Ilam, the four eastern Nepali districts that account for the bulk of national production. Alder shade trees fix nitrogen in the soil and maintain the cool, humid microclimate the plant requires, which is why the crop is grown under canopy rather than in open field. Either cure preserves the eucalyptol and terpineol content that gives Nepali cardamom its characteristic camphor-rich aroma.
Smoke-free, cleanest analytical spec.
Closed-flue electric heat-pump dryers. Hot air never carries combustion products to the pod, so no smoke reaches the crop.
Protocol: 45°C → 55°C → 65–75°C, 12–18 hours per batch
No smoke contact, so PAH is non-detect on the lab report. Indirect drying of this kind is the approach EFSA points to for spices where PAH formation is a concern.
Clean, resinous and camphor-forward, with the eucalyptol and terpineol preserved but none of the wood smoke.
Best for: Buyers whose QA specification caps moisture under 10%, EU and GCC importers who want the tightest analytical numbers, ground powder, and private-label packers who need a neutral base.
Wood-fired, the signature Himalayan smoke.
Wood-fired bhatti kilns on raised racks, the traditional eastern Nepali cure, run on our own managed facility rather than an open village fire.
Protocol: Slow cure over managed wood fire, batch-coded per kiln load
PAH is tested and reported on every lot. EU Regulation 2023/915 sets dried-spice PAH limits that do not extend to cardamom, so Bhatti-cured lots remain saleable into the EU and UK.
The deep smoky-resinous profile the spice is known for, the note that survives long braises and masala blends.
Best for: Biryani and masala manufacturers, South Asian retail and grocery chains, and chefs buying black cardamom specifically for its smoke.
Direct air-freight shipments with full export documentation. Incoterms quoted to suit your preferred port of entry: EXW Kathmandu, FOB, CIF, or DDP.
Spice traders, biryani blenders, hotel procurement, Gulf food distributors
Spice wholesalers, food service distributors, Ramadan procurement programs
Spice millers, organic-certified importers, speciality food distributors
South Asian grocery chains, restaurant suppliers, private label packers
Indian and Himalayan grocery importers, speciality spice brands, chef supply
Shipping to a market not listed above? We regularly ship to Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the rest of the Gulf. See all export markets.
Three steps from first enquiry to documented delivery, typical first-order timeline is 2–4 weeks from sample dispatch to shipment departure.
Send us your grade, volume, destination port, and preferred Incoterm.
The quote form accepts EXW, FOB, CIF, or DDP. If you want to test quality before committing, request a 200–500g complimentary sample. We courier it to your quality team via DHL, typically within 5–7 business days.
You get lot availability, the current ISO lab report, and a proforma invoice.
The lab report covers aflatoxin, pesticide, and moisture results for your specific lot. The proforma invoice carries pricing, payment terms, and estimated ship date. First-time buyers are offered 100% T/T advance terms; established buyers may arrange LC at sight or partial advance.
On payment confirmation we grade, pack, certify, and book your shipment.
That covers tail-clipping and grading of your specific lot, packing into 25kg jute sacks with polythene inner liners, phytosanitary inspection and certificate issuance, certificate of origin from FNCCI, fumigation certificate, and air waybill booking. Your complete document set is emailed to you before the shipment departs Kathmandu.
We are a young exporter and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Rather than publish buyer quotes you have no way to check, this space will carry the shipping record itself — destination port, grade, volume, cure and clearance time — published from the 2026/27 season as consignments dispatch.
Until then, what we can put in front of you today is documentary: a per-lot ISO laboratory report, the phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin that accompany every shipment, and a 200–500g sample of the exact lot we would ship you.
The same questions we answer every week from procurement managers, spice importers, and private label buyers.
Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum), also known as large cardamom, kali elaichi, or badi elaichi, is a smoky, camphor-rich spice native to the eastern Himalayas. Unlike green cardamom, black cardamom pods are larger (22–28mm), have a deep brown colour, and carry a distinct aroma from the volatile oils eucalyptol and terpineol. It is a foundational spice in biryani, pulao, garam masala, Moroccan tagines, and Middle Eastern stews.
All our pods are single-origin from Sankhuwasabha district in Koshi Province, eastern Nepal. Our farm cluster sits between 1,100 and 1,500 metres above sea level in the Arun River valley, under the shade of native alder trees (Alnus nepalensis). We do not blend lots from other districts or re-export through Siliguri.
Every shipment includes a phytosanitary certificate (Nepal DoA), certificate of origin (FNCCI), and per-lot ISO lab reports covering aflatoxin B1 (<5ppb), moisture (below 9% on our flue-dried line, up to 12% on Bhatti-cured lots), PAH residues, and pesticide residues below EU and UAE MRL limits. Fumigation and air waybill documents are issued before shipment departs Kathmandu.
Both, and the choice is yours per order. Our closed-flue electric line dries with hot air that never contacts smoke, giving moisture below 9% and a non-detect PAH result, which suits buyers whose QA specification caps moisture under 10%. Our traditional Bhatti line is wood-fired on raised racks and carries the deep smoky-resinous profile the spice is known for, at up to 12% moisture. Bhatti-cured lots remain saleable into the EU and UK because EU Regulation 2023/915 does not set a dried-spice PAH limit covering cardamom. Tell us which cure you want when you request a quote.
Our standard MOQ is 25kg (one sealed jute sack) for trial orders, 500kg for wholesale pricing, and 2,000kg+ for best container and air-freight rates. Complimentary samples of 200–500g are available for qualified buyers, typically couriered within 5–7 business days.
Yes. The UAE is our primary export market. We ship air freight from Kathmandu (KTM) to Dubai (DXB) and Jebel Ali with 3–5 day transit. We quote on CIF Jebel Ali, CIF Dubai Airport, or DDP Dubai depending on your preference. All shipments arrive cleared with documentation that meets MOCCAE import requirements.
We supply three grades: Bold (22–28mm, Gulf standard, largest pods), Medium (18–22mm, most common export grade), and Fine (under 18mm, used by spice mills and ground-powder manufacturers). All three grades are available as whole pods in 25kg jute sacks, or milled into ground powder to order.
First-time buyers are offered 100% T/T advance. Established buyers may arrange letter of credit (LC) at sight, or 50% advance plus 50% against scan of shipping documents. We invoice in USD, EUR, or AED. Bank details are issued on the proforma invoice. We bank with Nabil Bank Nepal and Himalayan Bank.
Yes. We supply bulk product to spice companies, hypermarket private label programs, and importers who pack under their own brand. We can accommodate custom pack weights (1kg, 5kg, 25kg), printed pouches or jars on request, and bespoke documentation formats. MOQ for private label is typically 500kg. Full artwork and packaging specs can be supplied by our team or provided by the buyer.
Can't find your answer? Ask our export team directly. We typically reply within 24 hours.
Samples available for qualified buyers. Quote includes pricing, Incoterm options, current lab results, and estimated ship date. We respond within 24 hours.