Year 1935, in a sleepy little countryside on the southwest coast of India, a visionary was planning to change the food habits of the world. His astute mind saw that, through the western palates traditionally favoured bland food, they would welcome a little extra piquancy and flavour, if only someone was there to show them how.

That pioneering spirit belonged to Mr. Vallabhdas Vasanji Mariwala. Quick on the uptake, he installed a spice processing plant on the banks of Alleppey's palm-fringed backwaters, and became one of India's first exporters of black pepper.

Mr. Vallabhdas was every inch a man of spices - right down to his last name. In his native Gujarati language, "Mariwala" literally means "pepper-man". He helped in the formation of the Pepper Exchange in Cochin.

He also introduced the convention of naming spices after the port towns where they are originated - Cochin, Alleppey, Malabar and Tellicherry.

The Vallabhdas factory - Vallabhdas Kanji Limited (VKL) - was as distinctive as the man himself. The massive wooden door that adorns the facia stands as a reminder of VKL's entry as a pioneer and leader in every aspect of India's spice trade and industry.

Today, India's oldest, largest and most diversified exporter of spices, VKL has emerged as a technology-based, quality-driven, customer-oriented multinational, with customers in over 40 countries. VKL's processing operations are divided between three ISO 9001:2000 certified and HACCP compliant plants, with a combined production capacity of 19,000 tonnes of ground spices and seasonings per annum. VKL's spices and blends are supplied to most leading food multinationals and fast-food chains in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and Asia.