The Reluctant Trading Experiment

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The Reluctant Trading Experiment I came, I saw, I conquered jet lag. Follow my travels and travails as I look for the best spices on Scott, I’ve made a very exciting discovery. And other spices.

A few months ago, I received an email from my friend Divakar in Kerala, India.

“Mr. I’ve located some of the best pepper in the world and it is just a few hundred kilometers up the road from me in the Wayanad Hills.”

To be clear, I hadn’t requested information on spices. As a former business associate, Divakar and I had developed a long distance friendship. But never had we discussed anything al

ong the lines of organic spices.

“The variety of pepper is called Tellicherry, but not just conventional Tellicherry Pepper, which is already known as the best in the world.”

Interesting, I thought to myself, because I wouldn’t know a Tellicherry peppercorn from a telephone pole.

“I discovered a select organic Tellicherry Pepper, hand-picked from the largest, plumpest, most aromatic berries in the world. I’d really like to see what you think of this.”

To be honest, at this point I was more in need of smelling salt than organic pepper. Pepper is pepper, I thought to myself. But since I’ve always known Divakar as a man of sophisticated taste and integrity, I couldn’t just ignore my friend. A week later, a mysterious package arrived on my doorstep. Buried under a heap of crumpled Indian newsprint, I discovered a curious glass jar with a bright yellow lid. It was brimming with coal-peppercorns. I knew that Divakar would soon be asking to see what I thought about his special pepper. I decided to stage a blind taste test in my home with all of the best national brands to see if I could get some, well, pepper perspective. During the tasting, it quickly became clear that, pepper is not just pepper. Distinct differences between the contestants emerged. Sample No. 004 stood head and shoulders above the rest. Tasters described No. 004 with words normally reserved for fine wines like, “best of tasting,” “complex,” “sophisticated,” “fruity” and “balanced.” No. 004 just seemed to make all other food taste so much better. At the conclusion of the test, my wife revealed the brand names of the pepper. Lo and behold, the dish labeled No. 004 was Divakar’s Organic Tellicherry. I felt a surge of pride that my friend had beaten the pants off the competition. As a tasting thank you gift, I sent my brother-in-laws home with small bags of Divakar’s Organic Tellicherry, or as they will always call it, No. 004. Within days, they inundated me with requests for additional supplies. Emails with subject lines like: “Score More Four!” and “Number Four is Number One” started flooding my inbox. I started moving forward a little less reluctantly on The Reluctant Pepper Company.


- Scott Eirinberg, October 2012


Addendum – May 2013

Six months after successfully launching Divakar’s No. 004, pepper soon longed for salt. I would not disappoint pepper. The times were a-changin’ and so was my name. The Reluctant Pepper Company officially became The Reluctant Trading Experiment.

Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Stop by the shop today. We can still get it there by Christmas with Standa...
13/12/2023

Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Stop by the shop today. We can still get it there by Christmas with Standard Shipping as long as you order by midnight tonight 12/13. ⏳️

We still have a great selection of tasty gifts that you won't find anywhere else. 🎁

There's still time to order gifts and get them there for Christmas. But not much! The deadline for orders with Standard ...
11/12/2023

There's still time to order gifts and get them there for Christmas. But not much! The deadline for orders with Standard Shipping is Wednesday at midnight. We've got gifts you won't find anywhere else.

Looking for holiday gifts you won't find anywhere else? We have a huge selection of exclusive and tasty gift ideas at Re...
22/11/2023

Looking for holiday gifts you won't find anywhere else? We have a huge selection of exclusive and tasty gift ideas at Reluctant Trading.

This is our signature Tellicherry Peppercorn and Icelandic Sea Salt gift bag and it comes in a variety of sizes. (Yes, our Icelandic Sea Salt is finally back in stock!)

Stop by soon for the best selection before the holiday rush.




Just in time for the holidays, we introduced a bunch of new canvas wine gift bags. So much better than the paper ones wh...
06/11/2023

Just in time for the holidays, we introduced a bunch of new canvas wine gift bags. So much better than the paper ones when giving a nice bottle to your host. Sets of 3 bags are just $15. Great stock up item. Lots of colors. Gift tags included. Cheers.⁠










Last time I visited Mumbai was in 2017, pre-pandemic. I took my close friend, photographer . ⁠⁠One of the most memorable...
28/09/2023

Last time I visited Mumbai was in 2017, pre-pandemic. I took my close friend, photographer . ⁠

One of the most memorable things we did on the trip is hire a guide in Mumbai. Well, karma was on our side. We were introduced to one of the coolest people in India, Ashvin Kumar Mishra the founder of . ⁠

Now I'm not usually someone that likes to go on guided tours. I generally prefer to go at my own pace and explore on my own. ⁠

But Ashvin totally got what we were looking for. He took us on a tour of Mumbai before dawn to do things that we would never have thought of doing. We had some of the most amazing and memorable experiences, seeing the fish market at night, flower market, newspaper delivery guys, etc, etc.⁠

Long story short, I've stayed in touch with Ashvin over the years. He recently started his own travel company and he's now curating "unique and bespoke travel experiences" in India. ⁠

If you're thinking about going to India, I HIGHLY recommend reaching out to Ashvin . You won't be sorry.⁠

He has put together some unbelievable experiences throughout the country. (Just check out the other images.)⁠

Their trips are highly customizable according to your dates, needs and preferences. Ashvin has graduated (with high honors) from being an intrepid guide (Mumbai & India) to a travel curator. ⁠

He stitches together travel experiences that revolve around colorful Indian festivals, vibrant markets, culinary adventures, native cultures, textile artisans and regenerative practices. ⁠

Great vantage points for sunsets & sunrises are distinct features of Satark Journeys along with staying in the best hotels which will make you feel like royalty.⁠

For detailed itinerary and costs, just DM them or reach out to the contact details given in the pictures. ⁠

BTW, we don't get any kickbacks or benefit from this post. Ashvin is just a really great guy and I thought this might be of interest to any of you that are thinking about traveling to India as I often get asked for recos.

All our aprons are made on 100 yr old looms in Southern India in my partner's hometown. The craftsmanship from these ski...
19/08/2023

All our aprons are made on 100 yr old looms in Southern India in my partner's hometown. The craftsmanship from these skilled artisans is timeless.⁠


Today, Reluctant Trading is 10 years old. 🎂To be exact, I brought our website live on 12/12/12 at 12:12 pm. (If only my ...
13/12/2022

Today, Reluctant Trading is 10 years old. 🎂

To be exact, I brought our website live on 12/12/12 at 12:12 pm. (If only my wedding anniversary was as easy to remember.)

We launched with just one item, Divakar's #004 Tellicherry Peppercorns. Big, beautiful, black peppercorns with a gorgeous citrus aroma.

I didn't know a Tellicherry peppercorn from a telephone pole. I was reluctant. But Divakar, my friend in India, was relentless (or at least persistent). He sent samples and I followed my nose.

The jar of peppercorns in the photo is the one he sent me 10 years ago. The peppercorns that changed my life.

My talented friend Barton insisted on making an epic short film about our humble beginning. You can see the film and read the rest of this blog post by clicking the link in our bio. ➡️

Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🙏 We couldn't have made it this far without all of your support. 👏 You guys are the best.

So many cool gifts. So little time left. Stop by Reluctant Trading and pick up stuff you just won't find anywhere else. ...
07/12/2022

So many cool gifts. So little time left. Stop by Reluctant Trading and pick up stuff you just won't find anywhere else.

We've got the goods that award-winning chefs buy from us on a regular basis (crazy aromatic spices, beautiful and affordable aprons, etc.). New aprons too - 2 Tone!

AND, we have gift bags, gift sets, gift boxes, gifty gifts, etc. But the holidays are soon. Really soon. And we have to pack and ship and then some guy or gal in a truck needs to drive them to you or to your lucky duck gift recipient. Sometimes the weather gets bad. So yea, it's good to order soon so your stuff gets there on time.

Stop by now. We're waiting for you. Well, not 24/7, we need rest too. But you can order while we're sleeping. That's cool.

Just for the record, Peter Piper didn't pick a peck of peppers. Parag Patel did. I know. I was there. Flashback to one o...
18/07/2022

Just for the record, Peter Piper didn't pick a peck of peppers. Parag Patel did. I know. I was there. Flashback to one of our pepper harvests in Kerala, India.

Believe it or not, we are celebrating our 10th year in business. Our cult-classic Tellicherry Peppercorns from Kerala started it all.

15/06/2020
Happy Sunday. Wait, is it Sunday? Thursday? Tuesday? Who the hell knows? I’m just going to start calling it Day.We just ...
29/03/2020

Happy Sunday. Wait, is it Sunday? Thursday? Tuesday? Who the hell knows? I’m just going to start calling it Day.

We just received a huge shipment of super fresh spices for all that awesome stuff you’re cooking at home.

We’re open, and shipping daily out of our FDA certified warehouse. Many extra Covid procedures in place.

Stop by our web shop and pick up the same spices that our award-winning chefs use.

*Sorry photo is not scratch n’ sniff.

Imagine a world where your only restaurant choices are Olive Garden and Chili’s. Nuff said. The James Beard Foundation h...
28/03/2020

Imagine a world where your only restaurant choices are Olive Garden and Chili’s. Nuff said. The James Beard Foundation has a relief fund that’s trying to save our favorite independent restaurants. Donate at jamesbeard.org.

Happy to let you know that we officially launched our own exclusive apron collection.Couldn’t be more excited about this...
12/12/2019

Happy to let you know that we officially launched our own exclusive apron collection.

Couldn’t be more excited about this new collaboration with Mr. Divakar, the man behind our spices.

While visiting with chefs the last couple of years, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of affordable apron options out there (at least ones that aren’t too ugly). I also realized that I was in a perfect position to do something about it.

I used to develop home furnishings for my old company. That’s actually how I met Divakar, who lives in southern India. We used to work together on all sorts of textiles. So it was a natural fit for us to add an apron collection.

I spent a lot of time working with chefs to figure out the right colors. The right fabrics. The right weights. The right durability. We tweaked and tweaked our first prototypes until we got things right.

The fabric is made on 100 year-old handlooms (!!!) by local artisans in Divakar’s hometown of Kannur, India. The aprons are soft, durable, and machine washable.

And, believe it or not, we’re selling the classic bib aprons for just $39.50 each at ReluctantTrading.com. That means you’ll have money left over to try some of our amazing spices too. ;)

The aprons are packaged in our branded cloth tape, so they’re excellent for holiday gift giving.

We also have a limited time shipping offer going on. Just $5 to ship any size order.

If you’re a restaurant that wants to order in quantity, contact us for wholesale pricing.


20/10/2019
We are excited to announce that  of Marshall's Haute Sauce will be creating recipes for us featuring our spices every mo...
28/02/2019

We are excited to announce that of Marshall's Haute Sauce will be creating recipes for us featuring our spices every month. Her first one is a super tasty Green Peppercorn Fettuccine with Leeks, Bacon, and Mushrooms. Through the end of March, our spice of the month is Green Peppercorns. Sign up for our newsletter and you’ll get 10% off our featured spice each and every month. https://reluctanttrading.com/blogs/the-reluctant-blogger/green-peppercorn-fettuccine-with-leeks-bacon-and-mushrooms

Very sad to hear the news of Chef Fatima Ali's passing yesterday. I only knew her for a short time, but was touched and ...
26/01/2019

Very sad to hear the news of Chef Fatima Ali's passing yesterday. I only knew her for a short time, but was touched and grateful for her recent Instagram post about our company.

I wrote a blog post about all of the unexpected attention we received. You can read it here: http://bit.ly/ChefFatiStory

In Chef Fati’s memory, we are donating all profits from this weekend’s sales to Sarcoma Foundation of America, Inc.

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A Reluctant Beginning

October 2012 A few months ago, I received an email from my friend Divakar in Kerala, India. “Mr. Scott, I’ve made a very exciting discovery. I’ve located some of the best pepper in the world and it is just a few hundred kilometers up the road from me in the Wayanad Hills.” To be clear, I hadn’t requested information on spices. As a former business associate, Divakar and I had developed a long distance friendship. But never had we discussed anything along the lines of organic spices. “The variety of pepper is called Tellicherry, but not just conventional Tellicherry Pepper, which is already known as the best in the world.” Interesting, I thought to myself, because I wouldn’t know a Tellicherry peppercorn from a telephone pole. “I discovered a select organic Tellicherry Pepper, hand-picked from the largest, plumpest, most aromatic berries in the world. I’d really like to see what you think of this.” To be honest, at this point I was more in need of smelling salt than organic pepper. Pepper is pepper, I thought to myself. But since I’ve always known Divakar as a man of sophisticated taste and integrity, I couldn’t just ignore my friend. A week later, a mysterious package arrived on my doorstep. Buried under a heap of crumpled Indian newsprint, I discovered a curious glass jar with a bright yellow lid. It was brimming with coal-peppercorns. I knew that Divakar would soon be asking to see what I thought about his special pepper. I decided to stage a blind taste test in my home with all of the best national brands to see if I could get some, well, pepper perspective. During the tasting, it quickly became clear that, pepper is not just pepper. Distinct differences between the contestants emerged. Sample No. 004 stood head and shoulders above the rest. Tasters described No. 004 with words normally reserved for fine wines like, “best of tasting,” “complex,” “sophisticated,” “fruity” and “balanced.” No. 004 just seemed to make all other food taste so much better. At the conclusion of the test, my wife revealed the brand names of the pepper. Lo and behold, the dish labeled No. 004 was Divakar’s Organic Tellicherry. I felt a surge of pride that my friend had beaten the pants off the competition. As a tasting thank you gift, I sent my brother-in-laws home with small bags of Divakar’s Organic Tellicherry, or as they will always call it, No. 004. Within days, they inundated me with requests for additional supplies. Emails with subject lines like: “Score More Four!” and “Number Four is Number One” started flooding my inbox. I started moving forward a little less reluctantly on The Reluctant Pepper Company. - Scott Eirinberg, October 2012 Addendum – May 2013 Six months after successfully launching Divakar’s No. 004, pepper soon longed for salt. And other spices. I would not disappoint pepper. The times were a-changin’ and so was my name. The Reluctant Pepper Company officially became The Reluctant Trading Experiment.