Outside Indonesia, cloves are a spice-rack item, a jar that lasts for years because recipes rarely call for more than a few. Inside Indonesia, cloves are an industrial raw material on a huge scale. Kretek (clove cigarettes) are still the dominant type of cigarette in the domestic market, and kretek manufacturing uses the vast majority of Indonesia's clove crop.
The compound behind both the cigarette's crackle and its distinct aroma is eugenol, the essential oil that makes up a large share of clove's weight. Eugenol is also why clove has such a long history as a dental antiseptic and mild local analgesic. It's the same molecule doing chemically similar work in a completely different use.
For export buyers outside the kretek market, this domestic demand still matters. It's a big reason clove prices can move independently of global spice-market trends. It's also why it's worth asking a supplier whether they buy through direct farmer relationships or compete with domestic cigarette manufacturers for the same crop.
We export cloves for food, flavoring and fragrance use. They're sourced and graded the same way as our other lines: moisture-tested, hand-sorted by size and documented for each shipment.
