Why I Started Spice Road Market:
Bringing Healthy & Authentic Global Cuisines to the Masses
Spice Road Market’s mission and purpose is especially close to my heart (& stomach): bringing healthy & authentic global cuisines to the masses.
Prior to Spice Road Market, I co-founded two organizations, worked for 3 startups, and initiated startup-inspired movements in a large corporation, all with the aims of serving populations that aren’t being addressed by the current market — but this time it feels even more special and I will explain why.
Below, I’ve listed the top three reasons that I chose to found Spice Road Market and cultivate our community of healthy global cuisine lovers. #SpiceRoadCulture
1. Global cuisines should be wholesome and good for the body.
“No. I don’t want to eat ‘ethnic’ food because it’s unhealthy.”
Growing up in an immigrant household, the above statement (in all its kind and unkind variations) was a regular excuse. I have given this excuse to myself and to others, and I still use it well into my adult years. If I want to get in shape, feel healthy, or “cleanse” my body & soul, I reluctantly and religiously cut out my intake of ethnic food, particularly those from my South Asian heritage. Yet, I have always loved the taste of cuisine because I am an ethnic foodie, who appreciates and enjoys experimenting with all types of food and cuisine, and I will curtail my stringent diets to come back to it.
I started Spice Road Market not only because I love global cuisines, but also because I want to change the narrative that cuisine feels unhealthy. I believe that global cuisine should not always feel oily and greasy or put one into a “lunch coma.” Global cuisine should bring the very best naturally occurring nutrients across the globe to the mind, body, soul and palate. That is why at Spice Road Market our selection includes items that are superfoods, raw, vegan, minimally or never processed and with numerous health benefits designed for conscious consumers.
2. Challenging the “organic food tax”
We are all aware of the organic and fair-trade food movements, along with so many others that trend every other month, which happen as a response to the irresponsibility and greed of the traditional food industry that tries to serve the masses. Interestingly, when I traveled to various “developing” parts of the world, including Central America, Asia and Africa, I observed that “organic” food is the cheapest, healthiest and most accessible to the average person, especially in rural areas. However, in the United States, it’s the reverse. Unfortunately, the cheapest foods tend to be the worst for you. Furthermore, organic food and foods made with the most trusted ingredients are usually not only quite expensive, but also exclusively found in larger urban areas.
I started Spice Road Market because I want to make healthy global cuisine more accessible to American consumers, regardless of their socioeconomic background or location. I believe that natural and ethically-sourced food is a basic right and should not be reserved for just the fortunate few. Average consumers should not be required to make tremendous sacrifices in order to make a healthy lifestyle possible. That is why Spice Road Market offers convenient shipping throughout the 48 contiguous U.S. without requiring customers to pay any monthly or annual subscription fees. We also keep our prices competitive and are introducing a price matching policy to match the lowest price available online for individual products.
3. Restoring the lost practice of cooking and sharing meals with others
Lastly, the price of eating out continues to grow and it’s harder to find the right balance of global flavors that are healthy, ethically-sourced and, of course, tasty. I started Spice Road Market to make cooking global cuisine easier in your own home — simply and conveniently. We all have busy lives; the list of competing responsibilities keeps growing. We don’t have the time to spend hours preparing and cooking meals daily, but I believe in the value of cooking more meals — not just because of the bonding power it brings to households, families, and friends, but also because of the DIY “high” of eating food you cooked yourself and sharing it with others. It’s a feeling that can’t be described, only experienced.
That is why Spice Road Market has various spice blends to make it easy to recreate tasty popular foods, and our #SpiceRoadCulture community receive tips for making the most out of our product selection.
Onward and upward to bringing healthy and authentic global cuisine to the masses!
This article was adapted from Spice Road Market’s blog. Spice Road Market is a recently founded company that understands the importance of convenience to healthy & authentic global cuisine. With national shipping, we make it easy for you to get your favorite cultural ingredients (think spice blends, bulk ethnic spices, superfoods, rice, noodles, snacks, and more). On top of that, we carefully curate a selection of brands that value ethically sourced, healthy ingredients. If any of this sounds ‘appetizing’ to you, shop online here or join our email list for the latest updates. #SpiceRoadCulture
