How Farmers In One Indian Village Crafted The Most Expensive Nutmeg and Mace | So Expensive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Nutmeg and mace are two separate spices found in the same fruit. Both have long been valued for their fragrance, flavor, and medicinal properties. India is the lead consumer of nutmeg as well as one of the top global suppliers.
One Indian town, Pollachi, has found ways to create some of the best-quality mace and nutmeg while effectively cutting out middlemen and selling directly to buyers. A kilogram of its mace sells for around $50 - more costly than mace from India's lead producer, Kerala, which sells for $35 per kilogram, and the US, at $9 per kilogram. So what makes Pollachi's nutmeg and mace so special? And why are they so expensive?
0:00 - Intro
1:28 - Meet the Picker
2:43 - The Nutmeg Fruit
3:18 - Dangerous fire ants
4:03 - Washing
4:56 - Separating Mace from Nutmeg
6:21 - Drying
7:03 - East Indian nutmeg vs West Indies nutmeg
7:35 - Meet the Farmer
7:56 - First-class Pollachi Nutmeg
8:42- Pollachi Mace compared to others
8:51 Secret techniques
9:07 Bit by ants!
9:40 Cutting out the middleman
10:15 Struggle of Global farmers
10:45 Success of the Cooperative
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How Farmers In One Indian Village Crafted The Most Expensive Nutmeg and Mace | So Expensive | Business Insider
Love that you guys kept the producer being bitten in the video, shows how easily it can happen to the workers!
Fun fact. This grows in almost every household in South India. Growing up, us kids used to grab a few without our parents seeing and sell it to get a few bucks here and there.
Sound fun. Does the outer white flesh can be eaten?
@@sachinsharma9974at 4:20 it says it can be made into jams or jelly’s
@@sachinsharma9974 yep, makes an amazing pickle too
No we don't you lying cnt
If it grows in almost every household to whom did you sell it then? 🤔
My childhood summers were spent eating the outer fruits of nutmeg/mace with salt and chili powder, so long so long.. The red ants called "neeru" in malayalam are really vicious, but less poisonous than "katturumbu". It has been years since I saw one. Their nests are pretty and how they weave the leaves together is a work of art.
I remember I used to get the fruit whenever we went to my aunt's house
അതെ പൂക്കും കായും എടുത്തു മാറ്റി തോണ്ട് ഉപ്പ് കൂട്ടി കഴിച്ച കാലം 😂
Yes in Grenada we use the whole fruit too. The outer part we use to make jelly, syrup, and wine. The nutmeg is even on our beautiful flag 🇬🇩
@@92spice18 ohhh, that's cool! I never knew of it
Same same
More producers need to adapt this model, the tiny profit lots of farmers see is disgusting and should not remain the norm.
The issue is that you can not simply "adapt" this method, you have to actually create it - like the video said, a community project, not just one person...
That’s just how capitalism works. Get used to it
That's what the new farm laws are designed for. Farmers in Northen states can't do this as their produce must have to be sold in the designated markets and they can't sell it directly to other countries like these people in Kerala and TN. Kerala and TN already removed the old farm laws before central gov did it.
Collective bargaining needs to be used by literally everyone who isnt at the very top of the worlds food chain
Sacando la nuez moscaa
The Dutch, the French and the British came to India for the spices from Kerala, where cardamom, black pepper& nutmegs grow naturally in ideal climatic conditions. And still they are the best worldwide.
Nutmeg and cloves actually came from the spice Islands near Indonesia. It was imported to Kerala.
Don't forget the Portuguese
Bruh, spices have been exported from Indian civilization to rest of the world since before the Greeks and Romans.
@@varun2250 According to wiki 17th-century work Hortus Botanicus Malabaricus, Hendrik van Rheede records that Indians learned the usage of nutmeg from the Indonesians through ancient trade routes. India had trade with them for centuries. So they might have brought it in long ago.
@@thehawkseye3412 Sure, buddy. Chillies were being imported to Bharata(India) only from 17th century. Barring mace and nutmeg, most of the all known spices known to humanity have been grown and exported from the Indian Civilization since eternity.
I am both happy and proud for the members of the co-op ! It's wonderful to see these hard working people enjoying the profits of their labor intensive work for a change.
Absolutely!
That's what the new farm laws were designed for. Farmers in Northen states can't do this as their produce must have to be sold in the designated markets and they can't sell it directly to other countries like these people in Kerala and TN. Kerala and TN already removed the old farm laws before central gov did it. When Central gov did it all over the country, they protested against it and as a result, farmers in regions like Punjab will not be able to sell their products directly like this.
Those aren't fire ants. Fire ants come from the genus Solenopsis. The red ants shown in the video are weaver ants from the genus Oecophylla.
Correct 👏
Thanks for the scientific nomenclature, ambiguous common names are why it exists!
fire ants is a direct translation from the Tamil word and are also called in tamil as "mossul"
as a casual viewer, I don't give a f**ck about those detailed info
@@bartolomeothesatyr 'Fire ant' is more specific than the genus name he gave though. This common name isn't really ambiguous, as another poster said it seems to be a direct translation, not the common name in English.
I did not know they were part of the same plant. Very interesting.
Thank you for these farmers effort to gain control over their own produces. Many don't have this consciousness yet, or even consider it's possible. May these video raise awareness among fellow farmers
I hate to burst your bubble, but that will never become a reality lol
That's what the new farm laws are designed for. Farmers in Northen states can't do this as their produce must have to be sold in the designated markets and they can't sell it directly to other countries like these people in Kerala and TN. Kerala and TN already removed the old farm laws before central gov did it.
Here in St Louis, Missouri I use mace and nutmeg regularly. I get mine from Penzey’s Spices which only sells the best. I bet some of these women have helped flavor my foods. Much Love ❤️
Dear Insider, Never change. This series is a world tour of awesomeness. Keep Rocking.
So happy to see that Indian farmers are directly benefitting from their crop value. No middlemen. The internet is a wonderful thing. This is wealth distribution at its best. A very interesting process. Their mace looks opulent. I must get some from this region directly. Thank you for an excellent program!
The workers look well taken care of, I am glad the farms made the collective to have higher quality of living for their workers.
Really? They look under payed! If this is the most expensive they should look better
Pollachi workers in any sector are alwayssss underpayed
@wakandastore9625 we have to remember that not only is money worth more or less depending on the country. Quality of life in each country is different as is its culture around wealth. This may very well be living well...or I could be dead wronf
You want to see this workers using iPhone and flashing there audis so you will see they are well taken care of @@wakandastore9625
@@wakandastore9625 They're much better off than other farmers. They look well fed, well taken care of, actually happy. The farmers I've seen in this channels have been _miserable._
I like knowing this. Thank you for sharing this story. I appreciate it. I am glad that local people are able to tend and bring their produce to market for fair prices for the work the do. Yes, I cook with both mace and nutmeg; and other spices and herbs; frequently. I buy organic spices. I am not in a position to be selective, because mostly I buy from the local grocery store. Also, it is ground nutmeg and ground mace that I buy. Of course, I live a world away from India. I am grateful for what I am able to have.
I'm glad the cooperative is doing wonders
Another example of why we should appreciate those who gather resources like food for us, and why they should be compensated well for their efforts.
Compensated well? A monkey could pretty much do this job
@@syn1183 Go ahead and DIY then. Live off the grid if you think it's such _easy_ work and _easy_ money.
And not just do it to get a crop. Get _good_ crops. The ones that you get in the supermarket.
Kerala is not a district and not a city - it's a STATE. Like North Dakota/California/Wisconsin. Its capital is Thiruvananthapuram - just like Sacramento is to California - that is the trivia behind those mistakes.
This. This is why we seize the means of production. Better products, better conditions, happier workers, better labor, better products.
I buy grounded Nutmeg and Mace in the US, so I don't know its place of origin. I didn't know the hard work that goes into harvesting these spices. Thank you for sharing this story.
Try buy the whole spice. Much stronger flavour and lasts longer as well. Most ground spices have fillers to increase volume. As mentioned in this video itself, the outer fruit itself can be dried and ground and mixed with the actual spice to increase volume and reduce cost. The whole spice, a little bit goes a very long way
@@hg.chetan I agree, the difference after trying some spices in their whole form or grinding it myself is huuuuuge. The smell alone filled my whole kitchen up while the pre-powdered supermarket stuff barely even had a scent
Get yourself a jar of whole nutmegs and a grater, you'll thank yourself later.
Grounded meaning??
@@gitadasgupta7488 Powdered form.
Kerala is a state. Pollachi is a township in the district of Coimbatore which is a city in the State of Tamil Nadu.
My grandma used to pickle the nutmeg fruit every year for me. Yummy. Om Shanti to her soul.
Good memories
Kerala is not a district, but state and has 14 districts.
Yet many of the natives live abroad
What's the point?
@@Vishakakabila what does that have to do with this
@@scribblerer7819 nothing .
Please empty the state completely 🙏
So that neighbor states can freely access your resources
Thanks I advance 🤣🤣
@@Vishakakabila yeah after ruining the rest of the country you might want to deal with the rest. I can understand that feeling.
@@scribblerer7819 clearly u r not in kerala
Great inspiration to this world on team work and living a peaceful life....irrespective of money.
it's amazing how some small indian villages have a grasp on the concept of supply and demand while others don't and sell their one-of-a-kind goods for next to nothing.
New Zealand for decades has been selling their dairy products and vegetables via a series of co-operatives. Thus the price is very high because the companies who sell them are 100% farmer owned and won't budge with price.
in my friends home in india, they have a huge garden with lots of nutmeg trees and we would just use sticks to pick them, it was super satisfying to hit them off the trees and perfectly take off the mace off the nutmeg
Kalady, Nutmug town in Kerala.... Used to eat the nutmug fruit with salt and green chilly.Mouth watering memmories of childhood. Nutmug fruit can be used to make pickle and wine as well
Thank you so much for sharing this with the world. I love learning about these things.
Congratulations to the Pollachi farmers and workers who have found a way to make a better life for themselves through cooperation. That's amazing and wonderful!
The only other time I have heard the word "mace" it's been in connection to the pepper spray police use on people. Is this what that is made out of? Is this mace spicy?
Also, thank you for leaving in the producer swearing, lol. It made me laugh. I hope he wasn't hurt too badly. Being bitten by ants is no fun.
I just bought some nutmeg at the store; 3 somewhat smallish nuts for $0.89 USD.
I really can't taste food anymore, but I do enjoy the scent of them. They smell like a man's perfume.
This is inspiring. Let’s give power to the people who work with our Mother Earth
Fascinating. Lovely to see natural grown and harvested simple ingredients and those doing the work, benefiting. Lovely to see.
Well well well
I'm always so happy to hear that the farmers are getting better profits for all of their incredibly hard work 🎉❤😊
Naaah, this is typical indian pretentiousness trying to profit off fake scarcity and """organic""" farming.
"Kokila" what a beautiful name! ❤️
it means cuckoo bird
Incredible, unsung craftsmen
Thank you for explaining the value of the Indian nutmeg/mace compared to other varieties. I hope to look for some Pollachi spices and support your co-op.
India is Beautiful and many interesting things than any place in the world
Amazing community work case study. Great work BI.
Nicely informed the story of farming & Harvesting of Indian Nutmeg ❤👍🏻👏.
The nutmeg and Mace both are costly, yet Farmer's in India get very less though the quality in Kerala is as good as the ones in Pollachi.
Farm owner get all the money. These people working as daily labour.
The farmers get paid as per standard of living in India as per capita income is low in india. Don't compare it to west where per capita income is more so salary is high
I am really enjoyed this video. I don't know more about nutmeg but after watching this video i got a clear picture like the what the purpose and also who is the most users of it. I believe that southern state in India are the hub of nutmeg and this is the best for farming in south in India other than Rubber. After watching this video i got a plan to plant nutmeg because farming this fruit we can get two or three income at a time but i am really concerned the climate because every year the climate has changing rapidly so that was my concern other than this okay. After watching this video i am really happy because this video give a wonderful experience and also its a great opportunity to learn more about nutmeg and finally thank you Business Insider for the wonderful video.
Nutmeg actually has dark history. Back in the day, it's native to Banda island, Indonesia and only grow there. The island was under british rule. The dutch want to monolopolized the nutmeg trading, because it's as precious as gold. They trade new amsterdam (now Manhattan) with Banda Island. They also massacred the local there.
Fabulous video
I love my nutmeg but never had any idea of how it was grown
Many thanks ❤
This was wonderful to see and hear. Amazing. Talk about teamwork.
Very nice to hear success with coop
Great story. Love to see more of these co-ops flourish.
Just look at the greenery there😍
Kerala is a State in South India.... Pollachi is a Small Agro Town in Neighbouring State of TamilNad.
ranjith is the owner of this farm.hes from kerala
THANK YOU
id love to have a nice farm like that.
I appreciate the fact that they kept the clip of the camera guy getting bit by the fire ant, it definitely adds a lot more personality to an otherwise corporate TH-cam channel
Never heard of this fruit/spice
Thanks Business Insider 🤳
Wonderful
Thank you for this video , I came to know about my hometown being far from it. Now im seeing this video from Deutshcland.
We have this in the Caribbean as well... ours dont get mold as easily as this one though
I just want to know how/where I can buy some. Quality nutmeg is ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Worker cooperatives and unions are the future of labor worldwide. I hope many people would ditch the middlemen and band together to sell and manage their own produce.
Regional cooperatives have always been the ideal way to make and sell product. There's a reason for all the intense government protections etc on cheeses in Europe. You just have to be careful not to spread past your area of expertise or region because that's where shady stuff butts in and you get companies and corporations.
Kerala is not a "city" as you say in 0:53. It's a state neighbouring Tamilnadu, the state in which Pollachi lies.
You wanna talk about alien? That new logo is alien looking!!
Nutmeg trees grow wild in the jungles of the northern part of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 (the province shares a border with Indonesia where nutmeg is said to be native to) but I don't think people here know what it is. As kids, we used to love to eat the bitter outer flesh with salt & throw away the inner parts lol
We call it Jaiphala or Jaabani in Odia. The 1st one is loaned from Sanskrit, since nutmeg is not native to Odisha at all and we dont use it in our traditional or religious dishes.
Jaabani is the local Odia name for nutmeg, since we used to get it from Indonesia in ancient times. It was mostly popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu provinces of India, since ancient times, apart from its native Indonesia, until it was popularized by the Portuguese in Europe and the world beyond.
Thanks for sharing Really enjoyed God bless
The most expensive nutmeg and farmers get paid almost nothing, you got to love capitalism 😂
Edit: The mental gymnastic ppl are doing in the comments to justify themself its hilarious, dont worry no one its judging you 😂.
Better than communism. Every business is ran where the boss gets the most profits. The boss likely owns the land and handles the logistics. These pickers are doing simple manual labour. They are free in a capitalist society to start their own business and work their way to the top
No actually the state is run by communists since several decades so they are loving communism 😂.
@@U.K.N LoL 🤣 you don't understand what Dharma is clearly and not your understanding of million god's is also not true million forms of single god. No god will help you if they are million or one god as per abrahamic point of view you have to get up your ass and do things.
What's your point?
A lot of times with products like this, the shipping costs exceed the costs of growing the crop. For many products, not just agriculture, the cost of packaging exceeds the cost of the product inside. Things aren't so simple and costs go up every time a product exchanges hands. Capitalism works a lot better than communism
Nice spices , so many uses .
Very interesting information, Thanks for sharing.❤
Nice video, learn't something today.
Fantastic farm and well taken
Thank you very interesting
Use a bee suit when harvesting high in the trees. Bee safe. Great job!
I have a nutmeg tree in my yard here in Jamaica my grandma has so much that she picks everyday that we don't even know what to do with them lol
Hell ya, good for them! They have the best product, get the best price!
great farmer
@BusinessInsider Around 9:46 min, what does Maledivian currency have to do with Indian Nuts?🤔
i had tears suchb alovely story
One thing that this video forgot to mention is that nutmeg is featured on the flag of Grenada.
My favourite spices!
Unionization is key
Love they don’t use pesticides. actually creates a lot of jobs
I don't know anything about agriculture, production etc. How does the non use of pesticides translate into more jobs?
@@adamm1117 It means the maces have to be picked much more frequently or they would go bad due to fungus. This in turn creates more job opportunity.
@@DevamBansal ahh, I see. Gotcha, thank you!
Nutmegs usually don't require pesticides atleast they aren't used in my grandma's home or the village.
those are not fire ants they are leaf cutter ants. they make their nests in the leaves of trees they use their larvae to stich the leaves together. the larvae excrete a silk like thread. the older members of the colony hold them up to the seam that's being held together by other ants. their queens are some of the most beautiful looking in the ant world.
They are not leaf cutter ants , they are weaver ants.
I have no idea what species of ants were shown in this video, but I do know that common names for common animals vary widely from place to place. What is called a leaf cutter ant in one place may be the same animal called a fire ant elsewhere, which may be the same animal called a weaver ant by other people elsewhere. This is why we have scientific nomenclature, to eliminate this source of ambiguity.
@@elhombredeoro955 your correct. leaf cutters are the ones who farm fungus.
@@mightydargo3 yes
Well in South India two types of ants live together
The black ones which are not dangerous but can still bite and the red ones which hunt you down
Well done 👍👍👍
Gppd effort to produce quality spice.
Greqt initiative. But, pollachi is water deficient region and is high risk growing nutmeg that needs good level of irrigation. Compared to Tamil nadu if the worker is getting 250 Rs, in Kerala you need to pay minimum Rs 500, which obviously increases the production cost of Nutmeg.
She also stated she went from making 10,000 a month to making 250 a day which, by 31 days, comes out to about 7,500 a month.
@@Solyolvimir might be a tounge slip.
@@Solyolvimirshe also mentioned that subracting food costs, the 10,000 R/month was not enough. She did mention that that the food on the farm is good and plentiful so room and board is likely part of her pay in addition to the 250R per day.
The lady talking at 11:15 confused me (maybe the subtitles were wrong). She said she used to make 10,000 rupees per month, but on the nutmeg farm she makes 250 rupees per day. 250x30 is 7500, which is less than 10,000. So something doesn’t seem right
She gets food too here which she says is the better deal for her.
she does not have to work 9 to 5 and gets food. In factory you have to work like a slave. What's there not to understand. Maybe you should work in a factory then you will understand.
Bro there is a huge difference between working in a factory and working in a farm as a fruit picker. People work in factory in horrific conditions. There is intense heat, no safety regulations. They may even have to inhale toxic fumes and they are still overworked to death under such circumstances. Getting paid a bit less with free food while you work in a clean and pollution free environment is a better deal any day.
Bless ❤
Awesome
So will the holiday seasons come do the prices go up?
Epdiyo , kovai karangluku unga 1st grade product vikka pogardu illa , just like Tiruppur garments .Mikka nandri.
Glad that the narrator didn't butcher the name "Pollachi" 😄
The spice must flow!
Nuttu megu kokila 😅 bless you girl
That's very impressive
As a malyalee i can say our tamilian brothers and sisters have recognised the importance of farming keep going guys all the best
very neat and sustainable. you literally see that its a good business for them; everything is clean, people are calm and healthy, theres no trash whatsoever and that plantation looks beautiful with the coconut palms. no pesticides either from what i could see, those ants eat all of them i suppose. sadly, climate change will get there too..
Climate change is and has always been constantly happening long before people got here. It is now used as a catalyst to destroy American infrastructure so the US can be taken over
To my knowledge nut meg trees don't require pesticides. Have never seen my grandma using it , she uses organic fertilizers though.
10:57 This Woman earns less now than used to
जायफल और जावित्री 😀
देख कर अच्छा लगा..
Nutmeg is great when added with cinnamon to French toast.
From Kerala, have 2 of them on our backyard.
Correction: Its Kerala state
ഇപ്പൊ കേരളത്തിലെക്കാളും കൂടുതൽ തമിഴ് നാട്ടിൽ ആണ്... തെങ്, ജാതിക്ക, അടക്ക, എന്നുമുതൽ എല്ലാം. പൊള്ളാച്ചിയിൽ നിന്ന് മൊത്ത കച്ചവടക്കാർ എടുക്കാറുണ്ട്.
Kerala is mentioned here as a city and a district, while it is actually a state.
Proud to my neighboring city the beautiful pollachi
Congratulations
middle men do no work but reek the profit, im glad to see farmers getting the pay they deserve
reap the profit
People look down on the middle men but they too have their challenges the logistics are insane in the Indian market
The price fluctuations are crazy too they take care of transportation and storage over all it is a lot of work too
I've just ordered my first sample of both mace and Nutmeg from Ranjit that was imported to Australia by the sabor company after watching this doco!! This is the Australian company they mention in the documentary!! Can't wait to try both!! If you are in Australia and want Ranjit's produce from Pollachi, they are the only people to buy from!!