When I first met Prabhu Kasaraneni, our Andhra Pradesh-based farm partner for Pragati Turmeric, I was a 23-year-old trying very hard to crack a spice biz that felt far too ambitious for my boots. He, on the other hand, was an MBA-holding, 30-ish-year-old who had taught himself organic farming so he could single-handedly turn things around at his family farm. Prabhu was growing Pragati Turmeric on his farm in Vijayawada, a varietal valued for its high curcumin content. I had been in search of a bright, beautiful, regeneratively farmed turmeric. Together, we’ve been championing
Pragati Turmeric—our first ever spice and a bestseller—for all seven beautiful, wild years we’ve been in business.
And I’m so glad to say this beautiful turm is now back in stock!Forgive my sappy love letter to our turm, but telling the story of Pragati Turmeric feels like telling the story of us. Back in 2016, turmeric was blowing up in the Western health world. Golden lattes were on every café menu on my street, and everyone, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Bon Appétit, was talking about this spice that I had grown up mixing into milk to cure sore throats. I remember asking John Beaver of Oaktown Spice Company—“Where the hell is all this turmeric coming from?” Turns out, no one quite knew.
He said, “If you know a good farm growing beautiful turmeric, I’ll buy it from you,” (P.S. he did, and does to this day).
You’ll be hard-pressed to find the actual sourcing and quality details of most turmerics out there. Here’s the scoop on ours:
- It has a whopping 5.2% curcumin content (compared to most market turmeric which hovers around 1-3%). This is what gives turmeric its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties—aka the good stuff.
- It’s grown with a zero-input model. That means it’s grown without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
- It's extremely fresh, and is lab-tested for quality at every harvest, so you can be sure there’s no lead contamination.
Of course,
haldi doodh—or golden lattes—are a great way to use turmeric. But this is such a versatile spice, and a perfect addition to sweets and savories, as well as cocktails (
Turmeric G&T, anyone?). I also swear by our recipe developer Asha’s hack to help use up every last bit of turmeric in your tin. When you’re down to the last turmeric, add a dash of
Aranya Black Pepper with some milk, close the tin, shake, then pour into a mug and microwave for the most delicious, healthy, and sore-throat-defying haldi doodh!
From day one when I was selling turmeric in janky little mason jars, one of the most special things has been seeing how it’s redefined turmeric for so many people and shown them it can be a fresh and delicious spice that truly imparts flavor rather than being a bitter, dusty powder. Try our golden child for yourself
here. :)
