The Journey So Far…

SpiceBox Organics has truly been a journey that has opened me to a world beyond my imagination. In 2006, I arrived in Hong Kong with a wish to promote health. After teaching yoga in New York, and studying nutrition at classes held by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I first wanted to teach yoga and nutrition, and maybe open a center that focuses on these two holistic approaches. However over time, I realized that in nutrition, we may be able to guide one, but what if we provide education through a medium that has real, organic, and healthy products that would enrich one’s life, and thereby start them onto a journey of wellbeing? That is when I decided to launch SpiceBox Organics.

We pride ourselves at SpiceBox Organics for sourcing many of our organic products from India. For those following the organic and crop production industry in India, farmers have recently been the media highlight. For example, cotton farmers came under much stress and poverty, causing many suicides in surrender to their fate. The farmers who produce agricultural crops are so poor that they usually get one square meal a day of something so basic, you would wonder why. I wondered why is that the farmers who grow food to feed us are so poor themselves. After researching this issue, I learned that the farmers grow their produce, then they sift and prepare the crop for the main trading market. They have to travel far to the trading point (the “mandi” as is called in India). They sit for days and haggle with middle men whose sole purpose is to get the best deal without any consideration of the wellbeing of the person producing it. The produce is kept for days with a lot of wastage during the selling period; this coupled with no back-up and support for themselves, the Indian farmer is left with a pittance for his produce, resulting in extreme poverty.

For centuries, India has been practicing organic farming. Today, there are pockets of organic farms – Uttarkhand, Uttaranchal, Azamgarh, UP, North Eastern Region, and many farms in the South. Some regions need special attention, specially the ones who live in the deep wells of poverty, Rajasthan. The country is extremely lucky to have organic farming activist Vandana Shiva, who I revere has done wonders in teaching and promoting organic farming in India.

The state of Rajasthan has special meaning to me because I spent my high school and university years there. It is my second home and I simply love this land and its people. The organic story of Rajasthan came to light when compost beds and drip irrigation methods were used in conversion towards organic farming by some wonderful people focused on uplifting the lives of farmers. Today, many  organic farms grow and sell produce directly to buyers at a higher value than market price, thereby enhancing their lives. My wish is to support these farmers, hence most of our grains and spices come from this very region. I usually tell the customers that when they buy specific products from SpiceBox Organics, they are helping the organic farmers who decided to take the chance and convert to organic farming in India. One of our favorite brands at the store is Organic India. This company goes beyond just producing products like “Tulsi” and Ayurvedic herbs that have been proven to be extremely beneficial to health – they spend time and energy in working directly with the farmers and their families that bring them joy and happiness in their lives. Organic India has been working with farmers to grow organic produce for 15 years, and is the pioneer in promoting organic farming and the wellbeing of their organic farmers.

Having lived in Canada and US before coming to Hong Kong, I was spoilt rotten with the accessible organic lifestyle. US and Canada have many innovators in the health industry, and I have been inspired by their relentless efforts at marketing and promoting remarkable organic products. This has led me to source many of SpiceBox Organics products from the US and Canada. Today, SpiceBox Organics has over 800 products available to the Hong Kong community – all handpicked and guaranteed top quality. We hope to continue to share with you the best health products from around the world.