From their childhood in India, Spice Zen brings authentic, traditional, artisanal and fresh spices to your kitchen. Using organic, biodynamic or wild crafted ingredients, leaving you in awe of the aroma and flavours of their freshly-made spices.
Who is Spice Zen? How did you begin?
Spice Zen is husband and wife; Aditya and Preeti Swarup. During our childhood years in India, we saw spices being stone-ground and roasted. We were always awed by the aroma and flavours of freshly made spices. We wanted to share these flavours with the rest of the world. Hence Spice Zen was born.
Your spices are widely acclaimed for their quality, can you tell us a little more about your focus with the products?
Our products are handmade in Sydney in small batches for freshness using Ayurvedic philosophy – universal interconnectedness, the body’s constitution, and restoring balance to the body, mind, and spirit.
All products, except the Australian native range, are certified organic by ACOS (Australian Certified Organic Standard). The full range is gluten free and vegan – the herbs, spices, spice mixes, rice couscous, semolina and condiments are endorsed by Coeliac Australia. We also cold press our nut and seed oils. Plus our products do not contain any salt, sugar, preservatives or flavourings.
We focus on minimalist packaging, which is highly functional for the product and importantly, recyclable and compostable. We encourage customers to bring back their empty spice jars and oil/juice bottles back, which are cleaned, sanitised and reused.
You don’t only cater for humans, is this correct?
Correct! We make an herb and spice blend for dogs – Leroy Spice Blend. Leroy is our dog’s name. He came to our house when he was 8 weeks old and would eat a bit of our food at meal times. He got used to spices and would not eat any food without it. So we developed an herb and spice mix that provides him the best nutritional benefits for his overall health. The product is certified organic, gluten free and vegan!
What are two iconic elements of Spice Zen as a stallholder at Carriageworks Farmers Market?
- Aditya is often called the ‘spice man’. Many customers comment that they have never smelled spices as fresh as ours in Australia.
- We serve hot freshly brewed Masala Chai and Turmeric Latte. When the Masala Chai is ready, Aditya does Chai cutting – which is pouring tea from one pot to another at a height. This cools the boiling Chai and froths it. Customers love the spectacle, which reminds customers of their travels or their homes in India.
What’s your favourite thing about trading at Carriageworks Farmers Market?
The inquisitive and diverse customer base. And being under cover!
Make sure to visit Spice Zen next time you’re at the Carriageworks Farmers Market. Open from 8am – 1pm, every Saturday.