We at The Spice Emporium love great food,
and we love sharing it even more!

This love constantly inspires our passion and commitment to creating and sourcing incredible flavours and ingredients to share with our friends, family and customers.

We want you to discover the variety of our spices and ingredients, to experience the difference quality can make to the flavour of dishes and to have you cook and enjoy the tastiest food you’ll ever make.

Our aim is to not only share the rich history and tradition behind the Indian approach to cooking but to inspire an exploration of the importance of eating well, using fresh ingredients and living a better life through the food we buy, cook and feed our families. In short, we are going to invite you to our table and hope to make a difference in reinventing the way you experience food.

Based in Durban, The Spice Emporium is owned and run by Chandrika Harie and her daughter Mira and includes an online division, seMart, the wholesale division and a franchise store in Johannesburg 

As our journey continues into the fourth generation of our 100 year old family business history, we will continuously strive to bring you consistency, quality and the type of customer service that will always make you feel part of the family.

Our History

At the very beginning… K.Haribhai & Sons

From modest beginnings, Khetsi Haribhai, Chandrika’s grandfather, began his entrepreneurial journey from Gujarat, as one of the Indian immigrants who settled in South Africa in the early 1900’s.

Khetsi started off by selling potatoes, onions and dried beans. Travelling up to 70kms each day by train to visit outlying areas, he would return to Durban once a week to replenish his stock and begin again. 

Travelling took its toll and with a happy, growing community of loyal customers, he decided to open up a brick and mortar store in Victoria Street, and so K. Haribhai & Sons was born. 

As the business grew, Chiminlal Haribhai, Khetsi’s 14-year-old son started to help his father by keeping track of bills and inventory. Being able to read and write in English, he contributed a great deal towards the growth of the store and eventually, Khetsi made the decision to take him out of school to work full-time in the family business. 

During the day he kept the books; at night he studied accounting and typing at a local technical school. Realising there was a market for spices in South Africa, he advised father to expand his inventory and so K. Haribhai and Sons became pioneers in the spice-importing business in South Africa. 

Four generations and 100 years later, our family still continuously strives to bring you quality, consistency and the type of customer service Khetsi Haribhai would be proud of.

Khetsi and Chimanlal Haribhai of K Haribhai and sons

Media

The Spice Emporium has had the honour of being featured in the following publications.

Taste Magazine

Kulula Magazine

British Airways Magazine

City Press Newspaper

Home & Garden Magazine

The Sunday Time Extras