Experience the spices of Tanzania
Uplift your senses with the warm, rich, fragrant scent of clove, pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom —the signature scents of Tanzanian spices.
The United Republic of Tanzania places a high value on the local spice industry and its potential for the economy. The Government created the Tanzania Spices label to support the sector, through the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) and the private sector, represented by the Tanzania Spices Association (TASPA)
A trademark for the Tanzanian spice industry
The Tanzania Spices label is a trademark for the Tanzania spice industry, and a significant step forward for marketability, quality assurance and sustainability.
The initiative is supported by the International Trade Centre (ITC), within the framework of the European Union (EU)-funded East African Community (EAC) Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP).
Through the Tanzania Spices label, local producers are able to grow, market and sell their products on a more equal stage. This increases their comparative advantage in the competitive global spice market.
Opportunities for economic benefits
The Tanzania Spices label is a major opportunity for Tanzanian spice farmers to reap previously inaccessible economic benefits.
The increased reputation for quality means higher prices, value addition and a growing market for derived products such as essential oils. Higher demand, supply and production will have follow-on benefits for local employment, the domestic market and livelihoods.
The label also provides a unique opportunity for buyers to easily access quality Tanzanian spices at the ground level.
Are you a spice buyer interested in high-quality Tanzania spices?
“A Tanzania Spices label will cement Tanzania’s reputation
for quality, organic spices in the global market
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Tanzania’s range
of spices
Tanzania produces over 30 important spice crops that, in the long term, will be covered by the Tanzania Spices label. These include clove, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, chillies, onion, coriander, garlic and lemongrass.
In the short term, Tanzania Spices focuses on crops with the highest potential for export and production improvement. These are clove, pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.
Clove makes up over 90% of Tanzania’s global spices exports. It is mainly grown in Zanzibar but production is rapidly expanding on the mainland. Pepper and ginger exports are also increasing, in line with strong global consumption.
Tanzania produces Ceylon cinnamon, also known as “true cinnamon”. Due to rising world demand and new plantations in-country, Tanzania is poised to become a major source for this popular spice.
Tanzania once ranked as the world’s third-largest producer of cardamom. It has the potential to regain this ranking through increased planting and good plantation management.
Read more about Tanzania’s top 5 spices.
Recognition and regulation
Spices have been farmed in Tanzania for centuries, however, they have not been recognised as important foreign exchange earner crops.
While more traditional cash crops have overseeing authorities, spice production in Tanzania is largely unregulated. Spices are typically grown by small-scale farmers who use traditional methods and rely on middlemen traders to export their products overseas.
The Tanzania Spices label will bring regulation and focus to the country’s spice sector. Tanzanian spices have never been trademarked; as such, exported products are often repackaged and on-sold under another country’s label.
“A Tanzania Spices label will not only safeguard Tanzania’s products but also spread local and international awareness about the spices grown in our country – both in the mainland and the islands.
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