Ujamaa Spice

What Ujamaa Spice does

Ujamaa Spice is a Scotland-registered (company number SC719259) direct-to-consumer food and drink brand, founded in 2022 and headquartered at 272 Bath Street, Glasgow, that retails single-origin spices, chai blends, loose-leaf teas, spice blends, and accessories sourced from named farmers and cooperatives in Zanzibar, Tanzania, including Kibeni, Kidichi, Mitakawani, Mgambo, and the Herkulu Tea Estate. Its functional proposition is provenance-led specialty grocery: each SKU is tied to a specific origin point, distinguishing the assortment from generic supermarket spice ranges. The company is led by founder and CEO Jawahir Al-Mauly.

The product range spans single spices (cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla, moringa) at £6.50 per unit, blended chai SKUs (Zanzibar Chai Blend, Bibi's Chai, Mchaichai Chai) priced £19.95-£24.95, herbal and loose-leaf teas, pumpkin-spice and turmeric-latte blends, plus gift bundles and accessories such as grinders. The technology stack is a standard e-commerce storefront, with Stripe payment processing and a £35 free-shipping threshold for UK customers, supplemented by a newsletter-driven 10% first-order incentive and a VIP rewards program.

The business model is pure-play DTC e-commerce with limited disclosed B2B activity. The most material non-DTC event to date is a co-developed Zanzibar Spiced Hot Toddy with Diageo, which signals initial traction in branded B2B/collaboration distribution. No fundraising, wholesale scale, or international shipping is disclosed; revenue, order volume, and headcount beyond the 1-10 employee range are not reported in the available data.

Name

Ujamaa Spice

Legal name

Ujamaa Spice Ltd.

Website

https://ujamaaspice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ujamaa Spice is a Scotland-registered direct-to-consumer brand, founded in 2022, that retails single-origin spices, chai blends, loose-leaf teas, and spice blends sourced directly from named smallholder farmers and cooperatives in Zanzibar, Tanzania, to UK consumers online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Spices

NAICS

Spice and Extract Manufacturing (311942)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Single-Origin Spices (Geographic/Varietal, Premium Grades) (AFAJANAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Whole Spices (Seeds, Pods, Bark, Roots) (AFAJANAA)

Keywords

• Single origin spices
• Spice blends
• Culinary ingredients
• Specialty seasonings
• African spices

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Spice Product Sales: Direct e-commerce sales of single origin spices from Zanzibar, including individual spices (cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric), spice blends, chai products, loose leaf teas, and related accessories. One-time transactional purchases with per-unit pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ujamaa Spice is a Scottish food and drink brand that sources single-origin spices from Zanzibar, Tanzania and sells them directly to consumers through an online store. The company packages and distributes these spices and spice blends under its own brand, emphasizing traceable provenance and authentic African culinary ingredients.

Product overview

Ujamaa Spice is a Scottish food and drink brand specializing in single origin spices from Zanzibar, Tanzania. The product portfolio centers on single origin spices (Yellow Cardamom, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves, Ceylon Cinnamon, Turmeric, Vanilla, Moringa) sourced directly from smallholder Swahili farmers, complemented by chai teas (Zanzibar Chai Blend, Bibi's Chai, Mchaichai Chai) made with Tanzanian black tea and Zanzibar spices, specialty loose leaf teas (Baimudan White Tea, Tanzanian Oolong, CTC Black Tea), and spice blends (Turmeric Latte Blend, Pumpkin Spice Blend). The company also offers herbals teas (Mulled Hibiscus Tea), bundled products (Spice Bundles, Wellbeing Spice Trio), gifts, and accessories. Products are sold at £6.50 for individual spices and up to £24.95 for chai blends, with free UK shipping on orders over £35. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-origin Zanzibar spices Individual single-origin spices sourced from Zanzibar, Tanzania and packaged under the Ujamaa Spice brand, sold directly to consumers for use in home cooking. Each product emphasizes traceable, single-origin provenance from a specific Tanzanian growing region.
• Spice blends Curated blends combining Ujamaa Spice's single-origin Zanzibar ingredients, packaged for home cooks seeking ready-to-use seasoning mixes with authentic African flavor profiles.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DiageominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on spiced hot toddy drink product development. Ujamaa x Diageo spiced hot toddy represents a brand partnership with the multinational spirits company.
• Smallholder Swahili Farmers (Zanzibar)coreOthersDirect partnerships with smallholder Swahili farmers in Zanzibar across multiple villages: Kibeni Village, Kidichi Farm, Mitakawani Village, Mgambo Village, and Herkulu Tea Estate. Farmers set their own prices and control quality.
• Herkulu Tea EstatecoreOthersTea estate in Usambara Mountains, Tanzania supplying organic black tea for chai blends. Partner has transformed tea production to highest quality standards with orthodox and specialty teas.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Steenbergs: UK-based family-run spice specialist selling single-origin, fair-trade and organic spices direct to consumers. Closest UK analogue to Ujamaa Spice in product, pricing band and ethical-sourcing positioning.
• Seasoned Pioneers: UK fair-trade single-origin spice company sourcing directly from smallholder growers worldwide. Highly comparable to Ujamaa in direct-trade model and premium spice offering.
• Diaspora Co. US direct-to-consumer single-origin spice brand built on direct-trade relationships with smallholder farmers. Closest mission-driven, single-origin DTC analogue to Ujamaa outside the UK.
• Burlap & Barrel: US single-origin spice company working directly with smallholder farmers globally. Strongly comparable to Ujamaa in direct-trade sourcing, premium positioning, and chef/home-cook customer base.
• Just Spice: German DTC single-origin and organic spice brand selling direct to consumers across Europe. Comparable in DTC model, single-origin positioning and direct sourcing narrative.
• Spice Mountain: UK online specialty spice retailer offering single-origin and globally sourced spices to consumers and chefs. Comparable channel and product mix to Ujamaa's e-commerce store.

Broad incumbents

• Teapigs: UK premium loose-leaf tea and chai brand sold through DTC and grocery. Directly comparable to Ujamaa's chai and loose-leaf tea lines on price band, quality positioning and UK retail opportunity.
• Rishi Tea: US premium loose-leaf tea and chai brand with direct-trade sourcing from small growers. Comparable to Ujamaa's Herkulu-sourced loose-leaf and chai lines in provenance-led positioning.
• McCormick & Company: Global packaged-spice and seasoning incumbent with a growing organic and single-origin sub-range. Sets the competitive baseline Ujamaa must differentiate against in mainstream retail.
• Penzeys Spices: Established US premium spice retailer with hundreds of SKUs and a strong direct-to-consumer channel. Not single-origin led, but a relevant incumbent benchmark for premium spice DTC economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxvpinzH4kjNOsIDTPS6Vpg/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ujamaaspice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ujamaaspice
• Instagraminstagram.com/ujamaaspice
• TikToktiktok.com/@ujamaaspice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ujamaa Spice