01
Kerala Green Cardamom, whole
From the Idukki district cooperative in Kerala, harvested in November 2025. The…
R$32 / 50gNews & Announcements
News & Announcements
2026-03-10
How to store spices so they actually stay fresh
Most spice racks are in the wrong place. Above the stove, next to the window, in a drawer beside the oven. Heat and light are the two fastest ways to kill a spice's aromatics, and most kitchens put the spice rack right next to both. Here is what actually works, based on how we store stock at our Lourdes studio in Belo Horizonte.
Read more →2026-02-14
Whole versus ground spices: when each one makes sense
The question comes up in almost every order we receive: should I buy whole or ground? The honest answer is that it depends on what you are cooking and how you are cooking it. Both forms have real advantages. Here is how to think about it.
Read more →2026-01-20
What cardamom actually is and how to cook with it
Cardamom is the spice that started Cardamom 101. Beatriz Fontes bought her first bag directly from a cooperative in Kerala in 2017 and the difference from the supermarket version was immediate enough to change her career. Here is everything you need to know to use it well.
Read more →Our products
Why Cardamom 101 is different
01
Direct from the farm
We buy from named growers, not commodity brokers. You can trace every batch back to the farm it came from.
02
Small batches, fast turnover
We never sit on stock for months. Orders are packed within 48 hours of roasting or grinding, so nothing goes stale on a warehouse shelf.
03
Whole and ground, your choice
Most spices ship whole. We grind to order for customers who want it that way, using a stone burr mill, not a blade grinder.
Maker
The hands behind it
Beatriz Fontes
Founder, Established since 2019
Beatriz Fontes grew up in Belo Horizonte and spent seven years as a food buyer for a supermarket chain before founding Cardamom 101 in 2019. She trained her palate at trade fairs across Brazil and on a sourcing trip to Kerala in 2017 that changed how she thought about freshness. She left her buying job in early 2019 to build direct relationships with growers in India, Bahia, and Minas Gerais. Outside the studio, she cooks obsessively on Sunday mornings, keeps a running notebook of failed spice blends, and is slowly learning to read Malayalam so she can correspond directly with the Kerala cooperative without a translator.
FAQ
Common questions
How fresh are the spices when they arrive?
We pack to order, which means your spices are ground or measured out within 48 hours of your order being placed. The whole spices are stored in sealed containers in a cool, dark room in our Lourdes studio. Most of our stock turns over within 6 to 8 weeks of arriving from the farm, which is a very different timeline from a supermarket shelf.
Can I request a specific grind size?
Yes. When you add a grindable spice to your cart, there is a notes field. Write 'coarse', 'medium', or 'fine' and we will adjust the stone burr mill accordingly. If you are not sure, medium is the right default for most cooking.
Do you ship outside Brazil?
Not yet. We have had requests from Portugal and Argentina, and we are looking into it, but the customs paperwork for agricultural products is genuinely complicated. For now, we ship to all Brazilian states via Correios and Jadlog, with delivery times of 3 to 7 business days depending on your region.