In an attempt to showcase the country's choicest spices and value-added products, including lifestyle and personal care, Spices Board, through its initiative Flavourit, has launched two outlets here to provide government authorised spices at affordable prices under one roof.
Spices Board is the flagship organisation under the union Commerce and Industry Ministry.
Inaugurated by Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher on Wednesday, the outlets, named Spices India, will sell an array of products, including quality checked dry fruits, spices-infused chocolates, beauty creams, fairness oils, bathing bars, shower gel and shampoo. Also available are aromatic gel candles which include the fragrance of nutmeg, clove, cardamom, mint, vanilla and cinnamon.
While inaugurating the two shops - one each at Janpath and Dilli Haat, Kher said the experiment done by the Spices Board will improve the quality of spices in the market.
"This initiative can help in a big way because today, while spices are available all over, quality becomes a big issue. Therefore, this experiment is not just to bring out packaged spice of good quality, but also validate and authenticate the purity of that spice because it's coming out with the stamp of the Spice Board," Kher told IANS at the launch.
Quality and authenticity are the USPs.
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"Strict adherence should be made to the correctness of weight and quality. In international context, we are one of the major suppliers of spices and what we sell outside, goes with certification. So, the bigger use of this experiment is for the domestic market and for the foreigners, who visit India," he added.
Spices India displays a wide variety of Indian spices and value-added products featuring an assortment of whole spices and a casket of exclusive spices extracts. The prices and quantity vary from product to product.
The ambience of the showrooms, designed in white, attracts the viewers with the different colours of various spices.
There are also chocolates with contain cumin, chilly, cinnamon, cardamom and clove tangs. Also available in the menu are gift boxes and containers with an array of superior quality spices. Amongst the personal care products include bathing bars, hair care, facial and skin care products made with premium certified spices.
With laboratories in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Tuticorin and Guntur, the Spices Board -- headquartered in Kochi -- encourages and facilitates direct purchase from farmers to ensure easy accessibility of the merchandise it sells, besides lending quality to the market products.
"Spices India shops are part of the new thrusts to ensure sustainability of the industry. We have chalked out an expansion plan. We are talking to the state governments to provide space. We are hopeful of opening new outlets in various parts of the country," A. Jayathilak, chairman, Spices Board, said.
He added that the board is working hard to help farmers and collectives to secure a better price for their produce by trading directly with them.
"Such a system eliminates middlemen; the collective can demand a fair price for the larger quantity of goods they sell. We are paying them higher price than normal market price," Jayathilak said.
Visitors can even taste spices at the stores at free of cost. Also they can get information about the products. Further, there is a small library where books and documentaries are available on varieties of spices.