Why green cardamom is priced in millimetres, what AGEB means, and the size/colour/oil specs that decide your landed cost.
Indian green cardamom (elaichi) comes mainly off the Idukki hills in Kerala and the wider Western Ghats, with trading and price discovery at the Guntur and Madurai auctions. It is one of the few spices where buyers argue over millimetres — and rightly so.
Sized in millimetres, priced by boldness
Cardamom is graded by pod size: 6mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 8mm and above. Bigger, bolder pods cost more — both because they look the part and because larger pods generally carry better. AGEB (Alleppey Green Extra Bold) sits at the premium end. A 6mm lot and an 8mm+ lot can be the same crop and still trade a long way apart.
- Common sizes: 6mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 8mm+
- Bold / Extra Bold = larger pods, higher price
- AGEB (Alleppey Green Extra Bold) is the premium tier
- Forms: whole pods, seeds (decorticated), and powder
Colour and aroma do the real work
A buyer is paying for two things: that even green colour and the aroma, which tracks the volatile oil (cineole-led). Natural green is what most quality buyers want. A word of caution — some lots are bleached or sulphured to force uniform colour; if you want natural green, say so on the contract, because the two are not interchangeable and bleached pods read differently on a clean-label spec.
Specs to fix on the contract
The numbers below are typical for Indian elaichi; the agreed values go on the contract and are confirmed on the CoA per lot.
- Pod size in mm and the grade name
- Colour: natural green vs bleached (state which)
- Volatile oil %
- Moisture %
- Admixture and empty/split pod allowance
- Pesticide MRL to destination
Tip: Confirm natural-green vs bleached in writing before you negotiate price — it is the single biggest reason two quotes for the "same size" come back wildly different.
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer retail packs under our brand, or only bulk?
Both. Beyond bulk packing, our single-window private-label service designs your pack and label, fills supermarket-ready retail packs — jars, pouches, boxes — and delivers on DAP terms to your warehouse. Packing is at our audited partner facility under our oversight; import duties and taxes remain your account.
Which size grades of green cardamom do you offer?
From Idukki in Kerala we supply by size in mm such as 6, 7, 7.5 and 8 plus, including AGEB. The size grade and bold percentage are confirmed on the CoA per lot.
Is the colour natural green or bleached?
We offer natural green as standard and bleached on request. The treatment is stated clearly on the documents so there is no confusion at your end.
What about volatile oil and forms?
Volatile oil is the key aroma spec, indicative and confirmed by lab; we supply whole pods, seed and powder. Set a minimum oil level on the contract if your buyers need it.
Can you do a low-MOQ trial?
Yes, given the value of cardamom, trial quantities on LCL suit new buyers well before scaling up.
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