Spices and team

At Donge Spice Gardens in Zanzibar, we grow a variety of exotic spices. For centuries our families grow pepper, cinnamon and cloves apart from many other herbs and spices - and all just for private use. The knowledge of how to do these things is deep in the roots of our families.

20 years ago we started a cooperative of some 25 families to grow vanilla, one of the most precious spices in the world - and one of the most labor-intensive ones as well. By now we count 15 experienced vanilla-growers and a lot of people that look after the plants the whole year. As the vanilla plant, which is a part of the orchids family, lacks a natural help like insects or birds for pollination, it must be made by humans. If the vanilla opens its flowers, you just got few hours to pollinate them.

Apart from vanilla we are growing pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, turmeric and ginger as well as some chilies in our gardens. These spices thrive in a natural, sustainable environment, grow together with fruits and herbs and are harvested with great care using traditional methods.

Our team consists of local families, whose main income derives from the agriculture and the spices. We work closely together with Blue Spices Zanzibar Ltd., a spice company dedicated to highest quality in spices and the way they are produced. And we cooperate with the Mamas of Zanzibar, a group of dedicated women passionate about sharing their knowledge of spices, plants, and Zanzibar’s rich culture. Together, we aim to bring you closer to the diversity of flavors while supporting the local community.

Visit us, book a spice tour which is different from all others, and experience the true essence of Zanzibar.