HQO Blog

El Niño Is Back. Here's What It Means for Your Cinnamon, Clove, and Nutmeg.

El Niño Is Back. Here's What It Means for Your ...

Rebecca McDonald

A strong El Niño is building, and the spice trade is already bracing. In our October 2026 Market Update, Jonathan Raju, COO of High Quality Organics sits down to unpack...

El Niño Is Back. Here's What It Means for Your ...

Rebecca McDonald

A strong El Niño is building, and the spice trade is already bracing. In our October 2026 Market Update, Jonathan Raju, COO of High Quality Organics sits down to unpack...

From Seed to Table: My Inside Look at New Mexico’s Organic Pepper Project

From Seed to Table: My Inside Look at New Mexic...

Jonathan Raju

 In the latest episode of The OG Spice Guy Show, I headed down to Seco Spice in New Mexico to track High Quality Organics’ organic bell peppers on their full...

From Seed to Table: My Inside Look at New Mexic...

Jonathan Raju

 In the latest episode of The OG Spice Guy Show, I headed down to Seco Spice in New Mexico to track High Quality Organics’ organic bell peppers on their full...

Oregano Supply Challenges: Why Growing Conditions Matter

Oregano Supply Challenges: Why Growing Conditio...

Rebecca McDonald

September 2026 Update:  Oregano is a total kitchen essential, whether it’s powering pizza sauce, marinades, or standard spice blends. But getting a reliable supply depends heavily on the weather—and lately,...

Oregano Supply Challenges: Why Growing Conditio...

Rebecca McDonald

September 2026 Update:  Oregano is a total kitchen essential, whether it’s powering pizza sauce, marinades, or standard spice blends. But getting a reliable supply depends heavily on the weather—and lately,...

El Niño Update: Why Organic Black Pepper Is the Crop We're Watching Most Closely

El Niño Update: Why Organic Black Pepper Is the...

Rebecca McDonald

A follow-up to our June update on Southeast Asia cropsWhen we wrote about El Niño back in June, we told you we'd keep revisiting this topic as new information came...

El Niño Update: Why Organic Black Pepper Is the...

Rebecca McDonald

A follow-up to our June update on Southeast Asia cropsWhen we wrote about El Niño back in June, we told you we'd keep revisiting this topic as new information came...

El Niño Update: Southeast Asia Crops

El Niño Update: Southeast Asia Crops

Rebecca McDonald

Weather is arguably the single biggest force shaping the spice industry. It affects supply, quality, availability, and pricing. Right now, the question we're hearing most from our customers and friends...

El Niño Update: Southeast Asia Crops

Rebecca McDonald

Weather is arguably the single biggest force shaping the spice industry. It affects supply, quality, availability, and pricing. Right now, the question we're hearing most from our customers and friends...

The Ginger Fungus Crisis in Nigeria: A Global Agricultural Crisis Unfolds

The Ginger Fungus Crisis in Nigeria: A Global A...

Rebecca McDonald

Update 6/2026 In the lush highlands of Nigeria an agricultural disaster quietly began to unfold in late 2022. A fungal pathogen known as Proxipyricularia zingiberis, which causes leaf spot and...

The Ginger Fungus Crisis in Nigeria: A Global A...

Rebecca McDonald

Update 6/2026 In the lush highlands of Nigeria an agricultural disaster quietly began to unfold in late 2022. A fungal pathogen known as Proxipyricularia zingiberis, which causes leaf spot and...