In India, spices are not just ingredients. They are emotions, traditions, and memories passed down through generations. Yet, behind the vibrant colours and familiar aromas lies a reality most consumers never see. The spice industry, deeply rooted in culture, is facing increasing challenges around food safety, pesticide residues, adulteration, and lack of transparency.
MASALYA was born from this uncomfortable truth and from a founder who decided that ignoring it was no longer an option.
The founder of MASALYA began his professional journey far from farms and grinding units. As a Chartered Accountant, his world revolved around numbers, audits, compliance, and risk assessment. Years of professional practice taught him one lesson clearly: systems collapse when shortcuts become routine. Whether in finance or food, compromise eventually shows its cost.
This realisation became personal when he started questioning the spices consumed daily at home. Despite buying reputed brands, there was no visibility on pesticide levels, microbial safety, or the quality of the finished product. Labels spoke of purity, but data was absent. Marketing was loud; transparency was silent.
Founder – CA Bhautik Viradiya
What followed was not a business decision, but a journey that began over 1.5 years ago.
The founder travelled extensively across India’s spice-growing regions, interacting with farmers, FPOs, processors, scientists, doctors, and academicians. The objective was simple but demanding: to understand spices not as packaged products, but as biological materials influenced by soil, climate, processing, and storage.
What emerged was a stark reality. In conventional spice supply chains, testing is largely limited to raw material sampling, not the final powdered product. Drying is often uncontrolled, increasing the risk of fungal growth and aflatoxins. Cleaning focuses on visible impurities, not invisible chemical residues. Grinding generates heat, destroying aroma and nutrients. Most importantly, consumers are expected to trust without evidence.
MASALYA was created to challenge this model.
Unlike normal spice brands that primarily source, grind, and repack, MASALYA built its identity around process ownership and food safety discipline. The brand does not treat spices as commodities but as sensitive food inputs that require scientific handling.
A key turning point was the support from Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDAU), Dantiwada. Professors, researchers, and mentors at SDAU played a critical role in shaping MASALYA’s approach. The campus became a working laboratory where high-cost, high-efficiency machinery was used to conduct repeated experiments on cleaning, drying, storage, and grinding.
This phase involved extensive trial and error. Many batches were rejected despite looking market-ready. Costs were high and timelines stretched, but the learning was invaluable. Medical professionals and food scientists contributed insights on long-term consumption risks, contamination pathways, and nutrient preservation.
MASALYA’s making process reflects this research-driven approach. Raw spices are first lab-tested before procurement. Post-purchase, they undergo ozone-based decontamination, which reduces microbial load without leaving chemical residues. Drying is carried out under controlled solar conditions to achieve safe moisture levels and prevent fungal growth. Spices are then stored in temperature-controlled environments before grinding.
Grinding is done using cold grinding and traditional pounding methods, ensuring that heat does not destroy natural oils, aroma, or nutritional value. Most importantly, the finished product is tested again, not just the raw spice. These lab reports are shared with consumers through QR code traceability.
This is where MASALYA fundamentally differs from normal spices. While most brands emphasise appearance, MASALYA prioritises measurable safety and honesty, even if it means accepting natural colour variation across batches. Uniform colour, the brand explains, often comes at the cost of artificial intervention.
MASALYA is now preparing for its February launch, beginning with carefully selected products such as Guntur red chilli powder, mountain turmeric, bamboo salt, chicken masala, and mutton masala. Parallel research continues on cumin, coriander seeds, and whole spices, reinforcing the belief that clean food cannot be selective.
The brand’s mission is not to compete on price, but to reset consumer expectations. MASALYA believes that if financial statements require audits, daily food deserves equal scrutiny.
For the founder, this journey is not just entrepreneurship. It is a responsibility. A belief that safe, clean, and honest spices should be the standard, not the exception.
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Website: www.themasalya.com
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