Mission Statement
Spice Emporium aims to be the retailer of choice for high quality ethnic Indian products and to have the best product knowledge and to provide the highest level of service at all times.
About Spice Emporium
Spice Emporium, is a premium purveyor of speciality foods and ethnic Indian products in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Branches in the province concentrate on providing a comprehensive range of exotic foodstuffs as well as products providing for a traditional Indian, however still uniquely South African, experience.
Spice Emporium was born 20 years ago as an ethnic food store and since its inception, has been world renowned for its ability to provide the complete Indian experience. The brand has become synonymous with quality and exclusivity across the entire market and as a result the flagship store has become a landmark tourist destination. During this time the brand has evolved to include all types of ethnic products such as ayurvedic; kitchen and home ware and books of all types.
On the 1st of September 2006, thanks to a massive refurbishment programme, the flagship store in Durban increased in size by 100% and includes a dedicated pooja (Hindu prayer) items area and a speciality art section.
The flagship store is located in a prime space close to the bustling and accessible beachfront and the world renowned International Convention Centre.
As a retailer based in Durban, the primary focus of the business has always been to service the retail market. With the increased influence of “Bollywood” and the increase in awareness of South Africans of Indian origin to become aware of their roots, the business has seen tremendous growth. However, the growth of the business cannot solely be attributed to these influences. Spice Emporium is a family run business and the growth of the business can also be attributed to the personal touch of the husband and wife team that manage Spice Emporium. Customers are not viewed as customers rather as friends and it is this personal attention and value to customers that have attributed to the growth of Spice Emporium.
Spice Emporium is managed by Vinod Harie and his wife Chandrika, whom between them have over 50 years of experience. Spice Emporium was born from the vision of Vinod who noticed that there was a niche in the market for a high quality, speciality and ethnic food store.
Spice Emporium trades in the retail food industry and by definition is a SME. The business has been established longer than most of its competitors and as such has a strong presence in the industry. Many of its competitors have attempted to emulate it but the business has managed to grow despite this.
