Spicy blends that made Durban’s history
Durban - Not many retailers can say they have served literally generations of customers.
But the well-known Spice Emporium in Durban can safely make that claim with more than 100 years of trade in Durban and counting.
As the “shopping local” trend moves businesses to smaller venues closer to home because of the petrol price or a preference for online shopping, owners Chandrika Harie and her daughter Mira confirmed this week that the Spice Emporium in La Lucia would become their key store. The iconic Spice Emporium in central Durban in Monty Naicker Street (Pine Street) is set to close at the end of this month, along with the Gateway branch. The famous blends will also be in retailers’ stores and supermarkets as well as being available online.
Speaking about the long history of the business this week, matriarch of the well-known family Chandrika said her grandfather, Khetsi Haribhai, arrived in Durban in the early 1900s.
“He came looking to do business in the country and came with the second lot of indentured people which allowed business people to come to South Africa.
“He landed in Lourenço Marques and walked to Durban, landing in Clairwood,” she said.
He started selling potatoes, onions and tomatoes and so the seeds of the famous Durban business name K Haribhai & Sons were sown.
In those days, transport was by trains or by horse and cart. Khetsi would take trains to places like Tongaat and Verulam in the north, then south to Port Shepstone and in central Durban where he would stay at each place for a week and take orders. Then he would head back to Clairwood, procure all the orders at the market and then deliver.
“Coming from India, they were used to hard work in those days,” Chandrika said.
Khetsi was also a strong supporter of Mahatma Gandhi during the Struggle era and took a keen interest in all matters affecting the Indian community.
Chandrika’s father and Khetsi’s son, Chimanlal, left school at 17 years old to join his father in the store in Victoria Street.
Quiet and smart in business, Chimanlal realised that basic spices from India could be popular in Durban. But he had to bypass the fact that because of apartheid, there was no trade between India and SA.
So he organised to have spices shipped to Singapore with Lourenço Marques as the destination, but when the ships had to make a stop in Durban, his cargo was unloaded.
Chandrika also discovered after her father’s death that he had done many charitable works.
“He was very quiet about his charity. I only heard about so much of this on the day of his funeral from the community at large, but he would never boast or tell,” she said.
Chandrika met her husband Vinod Harie (known to the family as Vinoo) when she was 23 and he too joined the family business. The store, which had been in Victoria Street and Carlysle Street, moved to the Pine Street (Monty Naicker) location in 1988.
“From the time we got married, Vinoo was at my father’s side. When we moved to Pine Street, our daughter Mira was a baby, I ran the retail side of the store and would run home every two hours to feed her.
“My dad and Vinoo ran the wholesale side of the business and it was my dad who imported the basic spices such as turmeric, mustard, cumin, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
During that time, customers were traditional and had their own methods of mixing spices at home. But we started blending the spices, creating our own South African blends,” said Chandrika.
Those became hugely popular over the years, creating singular flavours for many of Durban’s famous curries, bunny chows and biryanis.
Chandrika said with regard to this generation, Indian cooking shows and chefs on television and streaming services had also added to blends and flavours, with a preference for ready-to-cook or frozen products for busy parents.
“As the third and fourth generation, we still have an affinity for the first and second generations who worked with or who were customers and still keep in touch. We have formed strong ties with our customers, with many becoming friends, it’s beautiful,” said Chandrika.
Last year, Spice Emporium patriarch Vinod Harie died after contracting Covid, leaving a huge hole in the lives of his family.
But Chandrika with Mira have remained steadfast in guiding the business and implementing new trends in shopping.
Mira, who is the fourth generation of her family to own and manage the legendary spice business, said her father “touched the heart of everyone who met him with his extraordinary love, kindness and generosity that was an intrinsic part of his personality and nature”.
“Our mom, Chandrika, is gently passing the reins on to the next generation, to my siblings and myself. Of course she will still be involved in Spice Emporium, but has great plans to pursue some personal projects as well.
“We are all super excited. We will honour the family legacy and do our best to build on it,” she said.
The Independent on Saturday