Q: What makes your house ground turmeric different or better than the many turmeric products available right now?
A: For starters, our turmeric and ginger are grown in nutrient dense soil on an organic farm. It’s dried and sliced in small batches and ground fresh at low heat. By never boiling our roots, (which is common practice in processing), we retain fresh taste, vital potency, and our small batch grind turns out a super smooth powder that is silky and so delicious! For a deeper dive, please read out About Turmeric page.
Q: Are your products organic?
A: Our Resilience® Turmeric Elixir is made with 100% certified organic ingredients. Anjali’s Chai Masala is made with certified organic turmeric and other organically grown spices sourced from small farms by Burlap and Barrel. All of our ingredients are minimally processed with zero additives or chemicals and non-irradiated. Organic certification is an expensive and rigorous process that we hope our small company will be able to pursue in the future. We can’t put it on our label just yet, but be assured our products are all made with organic ingredients.
Q: I take curcumin extract. That’s the same thing right?
A: No, it’s quite different actually. The whole root has many beneficial components aside from curcumin that are eliminated in an extract. While there are definitely a lot of uses for a high quality extract that our turmeric could not replace, we believe that for general health and wellness, the whole food is always the better and safer choice. While extracts require breaks or limited usage, our elixir can be used daily without overburdening your liver.
Q: Maple is listed before turmeric in the original elixir. Does that mean it’s super sweet instead of subtly sweet like the label says?
A: If the recipe was listed based on fresh ingredients, maple would be 4th, after turmeric, ginger, and lemon but because we are listing by dry weight, it ends up being first. The final drink is very subtly sweetened but for those of you who like a sweeter finish, you can always add a sweetener of your choice.
When I first reverse engineered my fresh tea recipe, I was astonished to learn that dehydrated maple syrup has relatively little water and loses very little weight — leaving the final powder extremely heavy and dense. On the other extreme, it took anywhere from 5 to 8lbs of fresh turmeric root (depending on the variety) to give me just one pound of dried turmeric.
Q: Do you sell wholesale?
A: Yes! Almost all of our products are available in 4-6 unit cases for wholesale purchase. We even have a food service size for cafes and restaurants ready to add Resilience Turmeric Elixir to the menu. You can use the wholesale tab to order via Faire and reach out to Anjali at hello@anjaliscup.com if you are interested in discussing other options.
Q: What does “masala” mean?
A: Masala simply means spices or spice blend.
Q: Is chai masala the same thing as masala chai or just chai? I thought they were all the same thing?
A: You’re not alone! I hear these terms used interchangeably all the time. Chai means tea - it can be used to refer to any kind of tea and does not inherently refer to masala chai. Masala chai is tea made with spices or spiced tea. Chai masala is a spice blend that is added to tea to make masala chai. My blend is made with this in mind, but as with any other spice blend, it can be used to enhance many foods or drinks and not just the one it was made for.
Q: Did you go to culinary school?
A: My mother's kitchen has and continues to be my culinary learning ground. Her passion, knowledge, instinct, and creativity with food as well as reverence for ingredients is the seed of my inspiration. When I began my own wellness journey as an adult, I incorporated what I learned from her with my own adaptations. The love you taste in my blends is the love passed through my Indian heritage and a long lineage devoted to the healing power of food.
*Here's a photo of my mom meticulously sorting lentils in 1964. Her dedication and attention to detail is deeply instilled and informs everything I do—especially in the kitchen.
Q: Is your Kitchen Nut-Free/Gluten-Free/Dairy Free?
A: My products are produced with fully sanitized equipment in isolation from any potential cross-contamination. But there are allergens processed in the larger facility we work with. Please contact us before purchasing if you have specific questions or concerns.
Q: I love the photos on your website. Who shot them?
A: Fun fact! Most of the photos on my website were shot by me… Anjali. Before founding Bija Bhar I was a professional photographer for many years. Now I get to join my love for photography with my love for creating aesthetically appetizing recipes.
Q: Where are the ceramics from?
A: All pottery and ceramics featured on the homepage are all made by Nicole @wildbowerstudio
Have a question you'd like to see included? Email us at hello@anjaliscup.com