-based clean- start up Khetika on Friday announced a ₹10-crore investment in a pesticide-free spice processing and testing facility in Unjha, Gujarat, the first leg of a planned ₹100-crore, three-year infrastructure push as it targets a ₹1,000-crore spices business and markets including the , Europe and the Middle East.
But is pesticide-free enough to take an Indian spice brand global?
Pesticide control is only one part of the global food-safety equation. Beyond meeting maximum residue limits (MRLs), exporters must manage microbial contamination, post-harvest treatment and other contaminants, while providing the testing and traceability overseas buyers demand.
“India is the world’s largest spice exporter, yet, we are yet, to see an Indian consumer spice brand emerge as a global leader,” said Prithwi Singh, co-founder and CEO of Khetika. “We see a significant opportunity to build a brand that earns trust in India and across the world.”
Beyond the farm gate
The challenge changes once spices leave the farm. Spices can pick up bacteria and other microorganisms during harvesting, handling, storage and processing. The industry has traditionally used treatments including ethylene oxide, or EtO, a gas that kills microorganisms such as Salmonella.
But EtO can leave chemical residues, which face stringent restrictions in markets including the European Union. A treatment intended to solve one food-safety problem can therefore create another regulatory risk.
“Testing isn’t treatment,” said an industry analyst who tracks the spices and commodities sector. “A laboratory can identify contamination, but processors still need to decontaminate spices without creating another residue problem.” Non-chemical processes such as steam treatment are among the alternatives, the analyst said.
A batch can therefore clear pesticide-residue limits and still run into problems involving Salmonella, mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, heavy metals or residues introduced during post-harvest treatment.
Khetika is trying to address the problem across the chain. Its SAATHI programme works with farmers through Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which prioritises biological and other controls to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. IPM is not the same as organic farming or a complete ban on pesticides.
The Unjha laboratory extends those checks to raw-material approval, process controls, batch and finished-product verification, pesticide residues, microbiological and chemical testing and contaminant assessment.
The scale challenge
Trust will also have to scale. India exports more than 1.4 million tonnes of spices annually. Khetika’s initial 500-tonne capacity represents roughly 0.035% of that volume. The comparison is not like-for-like—Khetika is building a branded consumer business rather than a bulk-export operation—but it shows the distance between proving a tightly controlled model and scaling it across a fragmented supply chain.
Khetika expects the facility to reach full utilisation within its first year and plans to expand capacity, with exports accounting for a growing share of production.
Founded by Singh, Darshan Krishnamurthy and Raghuveer Allada, Khetika grew its revenue to ₹375 crore in FY26 from ₹247 crore in FY25 and is targeting ₹500 crore in FY27. Its branded-spices push also marks a shift for a business historically weighted towards B2B distribution through SuperZop.
For Khetika, the ₹10-crore facility is a starting point. The larger test is whether farm-to-shelf controls can be maintained as volumes grow.
“Pesticide-free clears the first hurdle,” the analyst said. “Going global requires clearing every hurdle that follows—from farm-level IPM to safe decontamination and verifiable batch tracing.”