Every consignment that leaves Vandanmedu can be traced back to the plantation block, the picking batch and the curing house it came out of. Below is the path every capsule takes — in our hands, from the bush to the box.
Selectively hand-picked at 75–80% maturity from estates at 900–1,200 m in the Western Ghats. Pickers rotate the plantation in 40-day cycles, October through February. Each block is tagged.
The mature parrot-green capsule is the only one that goes into the basket. Under-ripe and over-ripe capsules are left on the bush for the next round.
Indirect hot-air curing in plantation drying houses — 45–50°C for 30–36 hours. Indirect heat preserves the parrot-green colour, the volatile-oil profile and the alpha-pinene that defines a Malabar-grade capsule.
Curing is done at the plantation. The bean does not travel until it is fully cured and ready to size-grade.
The cured capsule is sized through 6 / 7 / 8 mm sieves on the colour-sort line at Vandanmedu. The line was built and is maintained by our own team — calibration is daily.
Hand-finishing follows. A quality inspector at the end of the line removes off-colour and split capsules before the lot is sealed.
Every export lot is sampled and analysed for moisture, total volatile oil (% v/w), 1,8-cineole content, alpha-terpinyl acetate, microbiology (TPC, yeast, mould, salmonella) and residue profile per EU / Japan spec.
COA, MOA and residue reports are issued per lot and travel with the consignment.
Foil-laminate inner liner, nitrogen-flushed for premium grades, sealed and boxed in 5 / 10 / 25 kg cartons. Outer cartons are food-grade corrugate with batch and grade markings.
Pallets are stretch-wrapped, weighed, photographed and logged. Container stuffing is done in-house at Vandanmedu.
Phyto-sanitary certificate, certificate of origin, Spices Board export certificate, COA, MOA, packing list, commercial invoice and bill of lading — all handled in-house.
FOB Cochin (preferred) or JNPT, DDP terms available for select buyers. Shipping line booking, container tracking and customs handled by our trade desk.
Serious trade buyers are welcome to visit Vandanmedu and the plantation. Auction floor, curing house, colour-sort line and the lab — same day in Idukki.