The Rajah Spices story
Our Heritage
Rajah was founded back in 1931 when a former Indian army officer yearned for home cooked food in London and realised there was a market for this. He opened up a small shop called Bombay Emporium and began importing high quality spices from India to London. Initially, the store sold whole and ground Indian spices but as the UK Asian population grew and the nation’s appetite for Asian food expanded, other products were introduced such as seasonings, curry pastes, chutneys, pickles, and poppadums. Aptly named ‘Rajah’ spices, these palate-pleasing masalas began to rule South Asian kitchens and hearts in the UK from that moment on.
Rajah soon grew in stature and acceptability. From a household name amongst South Asian families to a firm favourite of Caribbean home cooks in the UK, today Rajah has become a brand much loved by many. And our ambition to bring you the authentic taste of home stands stronger than ever before.
What Makes Us Different
Nothing can recreate the taste and comfort of a hearty home cooked meal. Well almost nothing. The authentic Rajah flavours bring food alive with the taste of home. From an aspiring home cook to a busy entrepreneur, we help everyone create delicious meals with just a few spoonfuls of the Rajah magic.
With over 150 products available, we ensure that each product is of the highest quality, so you receive only the best. Our range of the finest spices, curry mixes and masalas are perfect to flavour cuisines from around the world.
What’s more, we partner with our suppliers to adopt and support the best corporate social responsibility practices to ensure improved working conditions throughout our supply chain.
Firstly, our suppliers and ourselves are part of the Supplier Ethnical Data Exchange (SEDEX), a non-profit organisation dedicated to sharing information on labour standards, health and safety, environment, and business ethnics. Secondly, we insist that all our suppliers sign up to our Supplier Code of Conduct and Anti-Bribery and Corruption policies, which cover acceptable labour standards (e.g., not using child labour, complying with national standards for wage and working hours, providing safe and hygienic working conditions) and strict prohibition of participating in bribery.
Spice Sourcing
At the heart of our business is a quest to unearth the most authentic high quality spices. We travel deep into the heartland, where spices are found in their purest form. They are then sown and grown. The journey of spices from seed to shelf takes place under the watchful eye of experts and local farmers.
Each Rajah spice is carefully grown in the most ideal conditions. They are handpicked and harvested at just the right moment by practiced hands.
Dried, cleaned, crushed, grounded, and sorted, each spice goes through a unique process most suited to them. Then the spices are tested by accredited food testing laboratories in UK and around the world to ensure they are safe for consumption and ready to eat even when they aren’t cooked. Once the spices meet the strict quality standards, they are packaged and placed on the shelf.
So you can be rest assured that only the finest and purest of spices reach your masaledani (spice box) to recreate the taste of home.
