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Diaspora Co. founder, Sana Javeri Kadri launched her business in 2017, selling jars of high-quality turmeric to Bay Area foodies with a bold vision: to ensure more of the profits from this newly trending spice went directly to Indian farmers. Sourcing turmeric from the third-generation Kasaraneni family farm in southeast India, she found demand outpaced supply, with early adopters waiting up to three months for their orders.
By 2019, Diaspora Co. expanded to offer Baraka cardamom, Aranya black pepper, and Guntur Sannam chili. By 2022, the company had grown to 40 spices and masalas sourced from 26 farms across India and Sri Lanka. What started as a small pre-order business has now developed into a thriving direct-to-consumer model, with an expanding retail presence. By the end of 2025, Diaspora Co. plans to be on 1,000 grocery store shelves. And in 2024, ICA Fund joined this upward trajectory with an impact investment from the ICA Growth Fund. Diaspora Co. now joins a portfolio of over 70 inspiring companies growing profit and impact side by side.
“I’m personally so excited to partner with Sana on Diaspora’s growth,” said Allison Kelly, CEO of ICA. “We’re stepping in at just the right time as the company scales to reach more consumers. Sana is an incredibly savvy business owner, and we’re ready for this journey.”
Disrupting an unfair trade
Diaspora Co. was built on Sana’s commitment to driving impact in her home country of India by paying farmers more for their labor. The spice trade is notoriously inequitable, with many Indian farmers earning very little for their labor. Typically, farmers sell their spices through auction houses, where they change hands multiple times before export, resulting in lower earnings for farmers and diminished freshness for consumers. Diaspora Co. set out to change that.
Since its founding, the company has paid over $2.5 million to 145 farm partners, offering an average of four times the commodity price. Sana also launched Diaspora Trading, an export company, that is a subsidiary of the US business, that streamlines import and export operations, allowing spices to reach customers as quickly as two weeks after harvest. This unique approach not only ensures better pay for farmers but also delivers fresher, more flavorful spices to consumers.
“The value of Diaspora Co.'s product is that it’s delicious — our product is something people love to consume,” said Sana. “Our business model is giving consumers a way to enjoy better spices while directly supporting better wages for farmers.”
Aligned capital to fuel growth
When Sana moved from India to the Bay Area for college, she knew only one person, her aunt, and had no resources for navigating the US investment landscape. She launched Diaspora Co. in Oakland in 2017 with $3,000 from a tax refund and a loan from her parents. The first year was fueled entirely by pre-orders, and as the company grew, so did the need for capital. However, accessing funding wasn’t straightforward. Through diligent networking Sana was able to connect with a variety of impact-aligned capital providers, like ICA.
“It’s so important for us to partner with investors like ICA Fund,” said Sana. “When I started out, I had no idea how to access the capital needed to grow a business like ours. I was looking for values-aligned capital that understands the impact is the heart of what we do and actually what makes us good at business. We found that partner in ICA and folks like them across the country.”
ICA joins a dynamic group of investors in this funding round, including industry leaders from companies like Salt & Straw, Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Foods, and Jacobson Salt, alongside other impact investors.
“Sana and her team have rebuilt a centuries-old supply chain across India and Sri Lanka, which is no small feat. They prioritize regenerative farming practices and support farm partners via advances for infrastructure projects and their Farm Worker Fund, which improves the health, education, and livelihood of farm workers. Diaspora is very mission-aligned and we’re excited to partner during their next phase of growth.” –Hector Ramos, Investment Director
The path forward: scaling with purpose
With this new investment, Diaspora Co. has big plans:
- Relocating the entire supply chain to India to be closer to farmers, improving farm margins from 26% to a projected 46%.
- Launching sustainable packaging with custom-made, India-produced circular tins for long-term scalability.
- Expanding B2B bulk sales to serve larger restaurants and CPG brands.
- Refining product-market fit to reach a broader customer base while maintaining quality and impact. This includes expanding spice blends and introducing new pantry staples like instant chai.
“One key insight we had is that the average grocery shopper won’t go through a full tin of turmeric quickly,” said Sana. “Our early products were for passionate food lovers, but now we’re expanding. With our spice blends and masalas, we’re reaching new customers while delivering the same high-quality product.”
And there’s even more on the horizon. Diaspora Co. is currently working on The Diaspora Cookbook, featuring 100 heirloom recipes from 15 spice-farming families across South Asia. Set to launch in April 2026, the book is the result of years of in-depth culinary research, farm visits, and time spent documenting family recipes and traditions.
With a strong foundation and a clear vision, Diaspora Co. continues to redefine the spice industry — one farm, one spice, and one delicious meal at a time.
Read More about Diaspora Co.
Feature in Stanford Social Innovation Review
Feature in National Geographic
About ICA Fund
ICA Fund accelerates great businesses through mentoring and investments to uncover value in new markets and transform communities.We support small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area with capital, coaching, and connections that catalyzes growth and helps entrepreneurs create wealth for themselves and their employees, driving toward our vision of an economy that works for all.
