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Alleppey green cardamom, estate single-origin
Rare Spices, Botanicals & Teas

Alleppey green cardamom, estate single-origin

Grown on shade estates in Idukki's Cardamom Hills and traded under the historic 'Alleppey' export grade, this bold green cardamom is Kerala's officially GI-tagged signature spice.

Origin"Alleppey" (Alappuzha) is a historical trade/grading term — cardamom was traditionally auctioned and shipped for export through the Alappuzha port — not a growing region; the crop itself is cultivated in the Cardamom Hills of Idukki district (plus parts of Wayanad and adjoining Kodagu). The given origin, Idukki, Kerala, is correct for cultivation; only the product name needs the clarifying note above.
Indian subcontinentYes
CategoryRare Spices, Botanicals & Teas
Retail price bandRetail: roughly Rs 2,000–3,500+ per kg for 7-8mm bold green cardamom, tracking Spices Board/cardamom.auction daily rates (subject to significant seasonal volatility)
Bulk / trade price bandBulk/auction: priced daily at the Bodi and Idukki auction centres via cardamom.auction and the Spices Board's daily price bulletin
Sourcing statusDossier researched from public sources — producer contact not yet established
Compliance statusPreliminary review complete (see below) — not yet legally verified
Request trade sheet More in Rare Spices, Botanicals & Teas
Dossier researched, photography pending. The sections below are drawn from the cited public sources. This is desk research, not yet verified by direct producer contact or legal counsel — treat pricing, compliance and provenance detail as a working draft for due diligence, not a final trade sheet.

Detailed study

Alleppey Green Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is graded largely by pod size (commonly 6mm, 7mm and 8mm 'bold' grades), colour retention (bright green from careful curing) and volatile oil content; the 8mm bold grade commands the highest premium. It is distinguished from Guatemalan cardamom, the world's largest producer, by its more intense aromatic oil profile prized in Middle Eastern and Indian markets.

Provenance & producer

Cultivated on shaded estates and smallholdings across the Cardamom Hills of Idukki district (Kerala), with production also in parts of Wayanad, Kodagu (Karnataka) and Theni (Tamil Nadu); Idukki auctions (Bodinayakanur/Bodi and Kumily/Vandanmedu) are the principal daily price-discovery centres administered under Spices Board oversight.

Market & pricing

Cardamom prices are highly volatile; the Spices Board's daily auction bulletins and cardamom.auction show prices moving substantially week to week depending on monsoon-affected yields, with premium bold grades regularly trading in the low thousands of rupees per kg — buyers should check current daily auction rates rather than a fixed figure.

Compliance & export

Alleppey Green Cardamom holds an Indian GI tag (registered, listed on the Kerala Industries Department's GI product catalogue). Export requires Spices Board India registration/certificate of origin; destination markets apply standard spice import rules (EU MRLs for pesticide residues, US FDA food-facility registration) — no novel-food restriction applies.

Sources

Image status

A working reference photograph is in place, captured from a freely-licensed Wikimedia Commons source (File:Green Cardamom.JPG). Genuine green cardamom pod photograph; not confirmed as Idukki-specific but species/product-accurate. Treat this as a placeholder for marketing purposes: exact licence terms should be re-verified on the Commons file page, and original producer photography is recommended before final trade use.