Sana Javeri Kadri and the Spice of Justice:
How Diaspora Co. is Redefining Fair Trade
Diaspora Co. is rewriting the rules of the spice trade. What started with a single jar of turmeric in 2017 has become a movement to pay farmers fairly, build transparent supply chains, and preserve cultural heritage, all fueled by mission-aligned capital.
Highlights
- By 2022, sourcing 40 spices from 26 farms, paying $2.5M+ to 145 farm partners across India and Sri Lanka.
- Pays farmers on average 4x the commodity price, ensuring dignity and financial health at the source.
- Backed by ICA Fund and CNote’s Flagship Fund, giving Sana the capital to scale her vision.
Read Diaspora Co. full story below
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Sana Javeri Kadri and the Spice of Justice: How Diaspora Co. is Redefining Fair Trade
When Sana Javeri Kadri first arrived in the Bay Area for college, she carried more than ambition. She carried a vision of change rooted in her childhood. She remembered the farmers in India whose turmeric, pepper, cardamom, and chillies she had tasted as a child, but who rarely saw those flavors transform into dignity in their own lives. That memory seeded something that would become Diaspora Co.
In 2017, with just $3,000 from a tax refund and a small family loan, Sana launched Diaspora Co. in Oakland. She began by pre-selling jars of high-quality turmeric, sourced from the third-generation Kasaraneni family farm in southeast India. Even at the earliest stage, demand outstripped supply. People loved the spice. Yet farmers were still receiving commodity prices. For generations, supply chains, middlemen, and auctions all diluted the value earned by those who labored, often in difficult conditions.
Over time, Sana expanded the line by adding Baraka cardamom, Aranya black pepper, and Guntur Sannam chili. By 2022, she was sourcing 40 spices and masalas from 26 farms across India and Sri Lanka. Diaspora Co. was evolving far beyond a small pre-order business. It was becoming a mission-driven brand and supply chain built on a simple but radical principle: pay the farmer more, reduce layers, ensure freshness, and build value at the source.
By 2024, ICA Fund stepped into the story. Their investment gave Diaspora Co. the flexible, values-aligned capital needed to strengthen its supply chain and deepen its farmer partnerships. In short, ICA provided the catalytic support that allowed Sana to keep scaling her vision of fairness from farm to table.
Disrupting an Unfair Trade
The spice trade has long been uneven. Farmers often sell their produce through auction houses, which are wholesalers that extract value at multiple steps, leaving farmers with small margins and consumers with spices that are often older by the time they arrive. Diaspora Co. changed that model. Their model:
- Pays its farm partners on average four times the commodity price.
- Has already paid over $2.5 million to 145 farm partners, giving them more of the value their work deserves.
- Set up Diaspora Trading, a subsidiary in the export business, to streamline logistics so that spices can reach customers sometimes just two weeks after harvest, improving freshness, flavor, and farmers’ income.
This is not charity. It is smart business, recognizing that the supply chain thrives only when the farmers at its foundation are valued and fairly compensated
Where CNote Fits: Fueling Stories Like Sana’s
This is where investors come in. Through CNote’s fixed income product, Flagship Fund, investors can allocate cash to flow into mission-driven lenders like ICA Fund. ICA, in turn, uses those funds to invest in entrepreneurs like Sana, who are leaders building fairer, stronger businesses that conventional finance often overlooks.
For investors, that means a straightforward fixed-income pathway that can underwrite real stories of change. It provides an opportunity for people to invest in the communities, small businesses, and families that serve their community daily. It helps stimulate not only the U.S. economy but global economic growth as well.
In short, CNote connects investors to CDFIs like ICA Fund which provides the local expertise and catalytic capital. Diaspora Co. is proof of the impact that combination makes.
Why This Matters to You as an Investor
You’ve worked hard to build your wealth. Maybe some of it sits in savings accounts, CDs, or conservative fixed-income products. But “safe” doesn’t need to mean idle. More and more individual investors are choosing to align their personal capital with their values—making sure their dollars don’t just grow, but also help build a world that is more inclusive, sustainable, and just.
Diaspora Co. is one example. Yes, it’s about spices—but more importantly, it’s about rewriting systems so that farmers are fairly rewarded, supply chains are shortened, ecosystems are regenerated, and heritage is preserved. ICA Fund supports entrepreneurs who carry these values at their core. And with CNote, you can put your own money to work in ways that help fuel more stories like Sana’s—where every dollar you invest reflects the future you want to see.
Imagine your fixed-income allocation not just earning yield, but also helping launch or scale companies like Diaspora Co., which:
- Pay farmers fairly, restoring dignity and financial health at the origin of global food systems;
- Create more resilient and transparent supply chains;
- Fuse commerce, culture, and community in ways that linger beyond balance sheets;
- Multiply impact as scaling improves margins, reach, and infrastructure.
Using platforms and funds that vet for mission and offer transparency where possible allows you to deploy treasury capital with intentionality without adding complexity.
If you’re looking to invest in women, small businesses, or entrepreneurs like Sana—not only helping their dreams come true but also stimulating the local economy—investing in the Flagship Fund, where your capital is directed to companies like Diaspora, can be a great start.
Start Investing in Entrepreneurs like Sana Today
Create an account and begin supporting small businesses like Sana’s Diaspora Co. through CNote’s Impact Investing Platform.