Agarwalla Spices

Dealing with spices in Cuttack is what we do every day. Our place is out on the Nimpur Jagatpur Highway, right near the government truck terminal. Because of the location, there is always a lot of dust and the sound of heavy engines idling outside. The air inside our building always smells like cumin, turmeric, and chili. It gets into your clothes and you take the smell home with you at night. We spend a lot of time moving heavy sacks around and making sure everything is stored properly. The floor is concrete and we have to sweep it multiple times a day because bits of spice and jute always fall off the bags. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s what we know. We don't have a fancy office. It’s just a desk with some ledgers and a calculator. Most of our interactions are with the drivers and the local traders who come by. We have a small area where we drink tea and talk about the prices of things. The weather in Jagatpur can be very hot, so we usually have a big fan going to keep the air moving through the warehouse. We don't spend money on advertising because the people who need spices already know where the truck terminal is. We just keep our heads down and get the orders ready for whoever shows up that day.