We source our Zanzibar black pepper from a cooperative of smallholder artisan farmers on the Zanzibar islands off of the eastern coast of Tanzania, many of whose families have been growing pepper and other spices (including our Cinnamon Verum, Pemba Cloves and Stone Nutmeg) for generations. Black peppercorns grow in bunches, like grapes, on a climbing vine and are mostly harvested while still green. Ours are allowed to ripen a little longer, where the pepper turns more orange, before it is hand-picked and sun-dried into a rich chocolate-colored peppercorn berry. It is optimal to store and keep the peppercorns whole, as ground peppercorn loses its flavor and aroma very rapidly.

Like all of the spices from our partner cooperative in Zanzibar, our black pepper is grown on an EU-certified organic farm.

Meet the Farmer: Bwana Bakari (pictured with his child) is the chair of the farmers' cooperative, where we source our peppercorns in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Each year, he leads the cooperative in harvesting these spicy, citrusy peppercorns by hand, which are then hand sorted to check for quality.