Spices do more than season food—they tell stories. Stories of tradition, family, and the meals that bring us together. Spicewalla was born from one of those stories, one that started in India, where spices are treated like produce—bought fresh, roasted & ground daily. Meherwan’s wife & Chief Hospitality Officer at Chai Pani, Molly Irani, remembers the moment that sparked it all…

"I’ll never forget the first time Meherwan's mom visited us from India and scoffed at our post–college half-empty spice cabinet lined with stale, old spices in bottles that had probably been sitting for years on a warehouse shelf before sitting on ours. She stocked us up on fresh spices, and the difference was astounding. That story is something we want to keep sharing so everyone can experience the difference it makes in their cooking.

In India, this tradition is passed down by the women; they hold the food stories and infuse them into future generations. Meherwan and I were both raised by strong, independent entrepreneur mothers who also happen to be world-class home cooks. When we founded Spicewalla, we wanted to share the love of fresh spices and home cooking that they provided us. Spicewalla’s foundation was built on that story."