Guatemalan cardamom, high-altitude
High-altitude green cardamom from Alta Verapaz — the world's leading cardamom export origin.
| Origin | Alta Verapaz, Guatemala |
| Indian subcontinent | No |
| Category | Global Fibers, Oils & Botanicals |
| Retail price band | $$ (green cardamom, indicative $12–25/kg depending on grade) |
| Bulk / trade price band | Container loads FOB Puerto Barrios/Puerto Quetzal; contract pricing typically benchmarked against the Guatemala City spot auction |
| Sourcing status | Dossier researched from public sources — producer contact not yet established |
| Compliance status | Preliminary review complete (see below) — not yet legally verified |
Detailed study
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is native to the Western Ghats/Malabar Coast of India but was introduced to Guatemala before World War I by German coffee planter Oscar Majus Kloeffer. High-altitude cultivation (roughly 900–1,500m), shade cover and volcanic soils in the Guatemalan highlands produce large, oil-rich green pods.
Provenance & producer
Guatemala surpassed India in worldwide cardamom production around 1979–1980 and has remained the world's largest cardamom exporter since, with negligible domestic consumption meaning nearly all output is exported. Alta Verapaz department alone accounts for roughly 70% of Guatemala's national cardamom production, making it the country's undisputed production centre.
Market & pricing
Guatemala's export dominance means it effectively sets global cardamom benchmark pricing. Principal export markets are the Middle East (Saudi Arabia is the largest single importer, driven by cardamom coffee and tea culture), India, and increasingly Europe and East Asia for specialty food and flavour use.
Compliance & export
No CITES restriction applies. Exports require Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture (MAGA) phytosanitary certification, and destination markets impose food-safety requirements (pesticide-residue limits, aflatoxin controls under EU/US import rules); a growing number of cooperatives pursue Rainforest Alliance or organic certification to access premium buyers.
Sources
Image status
A working reference photograph is in place, captured from a freely-licensed Wikimedia Commons source. Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) pods, Augustus Binu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Note: illustrative of the species/grade generally; not documented as grown at a specific Guatemalan estate. 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.