Pantry surprise!

Diaspora Co.'s 
Hawaij Masala

Diaspora Co. is a mission-driven spice company redefining the spice trade by putting equity and flavor at the forefront. Founded in 2017 by Sana Javeri Kadri , the brand works directly with regenerative farmers across India and Sri Lanka to source single-origin spices that are fresh and deeply rooted in cultural heritage. By cutting out middlemen and paying fair, living wages, Diaspora Co. champions transparency, sustainability, and the rich stories behind every spice jar. We were thrilled to chat with Sana about how she stays true to her mission as she expands her offerings.

Q&A with Diaspora Co.

Diaspora is so thoughtfully rooted in flavor and equity and has been an inspiration to us and so many other young brands. What are you most proud of about the brand that you’ve built and the way you’ve built it?

Bringing the complex, layered flavors of South Asia to homes across the U.S., U.K., and beyond gives the team and me so much joy. But I think the thing I’m proudest of is how we’ve grown sustainably. Sustainability is one of our core values, but we constantly ask ourselves what we mean by that. To us, it means building this business to last: choosing farm partners who practice regenerative farming, paying advances to our farm partners ahead of harvests, and growing the business at a rate that allows us to hold onto our values. We’re constantly questioning the ways we’ve been told businesses should work and instead working toward an idealistic dream that isn’t fueled solely by profit. It’s hard because it creates its own challenges, like spices going out of stock if we don’t forecast perfectly, but over time, folks have begun to understand that that’s a good thing. I’m incredibly proud of that.

How does your team approach deciding which masalas to bring to market?

When I first started Diaspora Co., I wanted to tell the complex stories of food histories — the politics of the colonial spice trade and the ways in which countries, regions, and cultures have been built, rebuilt, and integrated through the exchange of food. We started with blends near and dear to us — making the perfect cup of chai, creating the haldi doodh we wish our grandmothers gave us when we were sick, and developing a tandoori masala free of artificial dyes. We explored another aspect of the South Asian diaspora through our Amriki collection, inspired by some of our American favorites, from taco seasoning packets to pumpkin spice. But we recognize that there is only so much our Indian-Californian experience can inform. From the start, we knew we wanted to partner with other voices from the diaspora and beyond who could add further complexity and color to what “made in South Asia” means. When we finally had the operational bandwidth to make it happen, we partnered with British storyteller Nadir Nahdi to create our Hawaij Masala — a beautiful collaboration that brings additional depth to our story.

What should people know about the Hawaij Masala and what it represents?

Our dear friend Nadir Nahdi, whose reels span everything from the relationship between Palestinians in Gaza and their olive farms to the story of how South Asian immigrants brought nihari to London, is our dream first collaborator. Developed hand in hand, our brand-new Hawaij Masala feels like the perfect marriage of Nadir’s and my big storytelling dreams around food, history, and identity.

Hawaij means “mixture” in Arabic and is a spice blend commonly found in Yemeni cooking. Much like garam masala in South Asia, every household has its own version of the blend; however, hawaij typically features cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom. It originates from Aden, where South Asian communities combined local Yemeni tastes with Indian ingredients. Our Hawaij Masala adds savory depth and a kick of heat without overwhelming the palate, making it perfect for meat stews, soups, roasted vegetables, or Nadir’s delicious Fahsa Pot Pie.

Beans have played a longstanding role in South Asian culture and sustenance. What bean dishes would you recommend first to someone new to both?

Rajma, a kidney bean curry flavored with warming spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, is a common household preparation in many parts of northwestern India, including Punjab and New Delhi. But it’s also a comfort food beyond those regions. It’s creamy, deeply savory, and best served over steamed rice with a chilled bowl of yogurt and some sliced onions on the side. We have a lovely recipe for a classic rajma by cookbook author Chitra Agrawal. For a Mexican-Indian remix of the classic, our recipe editor Asha’s Southwest Rajma Chili is a great option — topped with grated cheddar cheese, pickled peppers, and diced avocado!

Can you tell us about how your sourcing philosophy has evolved (or not) as you expand into new regions and spices/masalas?

Honestly, our sourcing philosophy has stayed strong since the beginning! We only partner with pesticide-free, regenerative farms, source the freshest harvests, and freshly mill and blend each production run to ensure you’re getting maximum potency and flavor. Size, yield, and color are secondary—flavor and aroma always come first.

For instance, we developed our Tandoori Masala with 16 fresh spices sourced from across India. Folks loved it, and we knew we had delivered on flavor. But even after launch, we realized something was missing: that distinct red color a classic Tandoori Masala has (often due to red food coloring). While on a sourcing trip to Kashmir, we stumbled upon the lovely cockscomb flower—a traditional ingredient used to give Rogan Josh its deep red hue. When soaked in hot water, the flowers release a beautiful pink color that deepens to red—the missing piece we had been searching for! We redeveloped and re-released our Tandoori Masala to include cockscomb, providing that signature hue. Quality and real ingredients sourced thoughtfully—always—even if it takes longer and requires more work.