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, moisture below 9%, PAH-free. Supplying spice importers, private label packers, and food manufacturers across the UAE, Europe, and North America.
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. 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.
Your cardamom is sourced from a defined cluster of farms in Sankhuwasabha district, Nepal — 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.
Every shipment ships with a third-party ISO lab report confirming three things: moisture below 9% (UAE MOCCAE standard), aflatoxin B1 below 5ppb (EU and GCC mandatory limit), and zero PAH contamination. We use closed-flue electric drying only — the drying method EFSA recommends for spices exported to the EU.
We prepare and provide: Phytosanitary Certificate (Nepal Department of Agriculture), FNCCI Certificate of Origin, ISO lab report, commercial invoice, packing list, and fumigation certificate. Your freight forwarder receives a complete document set — no chasing, no delays at customs.
Minimum order is 25kg — one jute sack. We supply specialty buyers, restaurant chains, private label packers, and large-volume importers. Running a pilot before committing to volume? Request 200–500g for your quality team 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 1BestsellerOur Bold grade whole pods are the largest available — 22 to 28mm in length, uniformly dried to below 9% moisture, tails cleanly clipped. Preferred by spice blenders, biryani manufacturers, and hotel procurement teams across the Gulf. Packed in sealed 25kg jute sacks with polythene inner liner.
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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 accompanied by ISO lab report. Available in Bold, Medium, and Fine grades by request.
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White-LabelWe supply bulk product to spice companies and importers who pack under their own brand or a hypermarket private label. Our documentation set is complete and compliant — your quality team, procurement manager, or customs broker will have everything they need.
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MilledGround from whole Bold grade pods immediately before packing. Mesh size standardised for spice blend manufacturing. Moisture-proof multilayer packaging. ISO lab certified per batch. Available in 1kg, 5kg, and 25kg formats.
→ View Ground PowderFree from agricultural pests, diseases, and regulated organisms. Mandatory for UAE MOCCAE import clearance.
Product is of Nepali origin — enables Nepal-specific tariff treatment and the single-origin provenance claim.
Aflatoxin B1 below 5ppb (UAE and EU mandatory limit). Tested per lot.
Moisture content below 9% — prevents mould growth in transit and long-term storage.
Zero PAH contamination (closed-flue electric dried). 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 the eastern Koshi Province of Nepal, bordering Tibet to the north and cut through by the Arun River. The combination of high altitude, heavy monsoon rainfall, and cool temperatures creates ideal conditions for large cardamom cultivation. The district is one of the four eastern Nepali districts — alongside Taplejung, Panchthar, and Ilam — that together produce over 80% of Nepal's annual cardamom harvest.
Farms in our supply network sit between 1,100 and 1,500 metres above sea level. Cardamom is grown under the shade of alder trees (Alnus nepalensis), which fix nitrogen in the soil and maintain the cool, humid microclimate the plant requires. Each pod is hand-harvested in September and October, when the capsules reach full maturity and maximum aromatic compound concentration.
After harvest, pods go directly into our closed-flue electric heat-pump dryers — typically within six hours. The drying temperature follows a three-stage protocol: 45°C for initial moisture reduction, 55°C for continued drying, and 65–75°C for final reduction to below 9% moisture. This process takes 12–18 hours per batch and preserves the eucalyptol and terpineol content that gives Nepali cardamom its characteristic camphor-rich aroma.
The result: clean, smoke-free pods with a deep brown colour, tightly clipped tails, and a moisture content that meets UAE, EU, and US import standards without any additional processing or sterilisation on arrival.
Three steps from first enquiry to documented delivery — typical first-order timeline is 2–4 weeks from sample dispatch to shipment departure.
Fill in our quote form with your required grade, volume in kg, destination port, and preferred Incoterm (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.
We confirm your specific lot availability, share the current ISO lab report (aflatoxin, pesticide, moisture), and send a proforma invoice with 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 arrange: 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.
Samples available for qualified buyers. Quote includes pricing, Incoterm options, current lab results, and estimated ship date. We respond within 24 hours.
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.
From restaurant buyers in the Gulf to spice wholesalers in Europe and North America, our buyers return for the same reason: lot consistency, complete documentation, and fair farm-direct pricing.
The Bold grade pods from CardamomNepal have a depth and camphor note we couldn't source from any re-exporter. Documentation was complete on arrival — phytosanitary, COO, aflatoxin lab — and Jebel Ali clearance took under 24 hours.
We switched from a Siliguri supplier to CardamomNepal for our private label line. Lot consistency, moisture control, and the ISO lab report attached to every batch made it an easy procurement decision for our QA team.
Freshly milled Ground Powder, sealed in multilayer, arrived within the week. Aroma profile is exactly what our biryani blends need. Already planning a container-load for the next season.
Testimonials shown with buyer consent. Company names withheld per commercial confidentiality — full references available on request for serious procurement enquiries.
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 (<9%), PAH residues (zero, closed-flue electric drying), and pesticide residues below EU and UAE MRL limits. Fumigation and air waybill documents are issued before shipment departs Kathmandu.
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.