There's a specific kind of satisfaction when you open a cabinet and everything is exactly where it should be.
Ready. Waiting. Nothing falls out.
Actual shot of spices in my kitchen not falling to the ground and shattering into glass shards.
We're haunted by the mere idea that a smoky Urfa biber or our floral Rose Harissa might quietly fade unused in someone's cabinet. Light sneaking in. Air doing its slow work. Disorganization obstructing inspiration.
Never again! Our team just spent one very obsessive, very fun year working to give our spices, blends (and soon, our teas) the perfectly practical and pleasing packaging they've deserved for three decades.
In the past, we've tried jars (too much light let in, ever-pricier to ship, and did you know glass breaks? It does in my kitchen!).
And, we've tried pouches (great for shipping, but proved a little tricky & icky to manage).
Some companies use square tins that we find lovely to look at yet impossible to open, and lack any seal on the inside. 😱 No go there.
We tried off-the-shelf cans from Steel Country USA, then pre-made matcha tins from Japan. Nothing stacked, sealed, and twisted just the way we wanted.
Design Notes: single-ingredient spices on the left, blends with the blue "ribbon" on the right. Label colors are categories.
So, we worked with an overseas producer and made it ourselves. 💪
What we made — and what you might already be holding — does everything as well or better than anything we've seen in the spice trade: Blocks light completely. A seal that actually keeps. A lid that even tired hands can open. Stackable, which sounds minor until your cabinet stops betraying you. Durable, even after a drop.
This was all so that your spices would be ready when you are. Reliably, excitably still-fresh. Still special. And now, cute as heck.
It's Small Business Saturday, and we're celebrating with a little extra verve this time.
There's been some trumped-up cost volatility this year, as you know. An unwelcome challenge for so many businesses — especially smaller ones.
My favorite case of this was when we were placing the first order for tens of thousands of our custom tins from the Guangdong Province in China. The producer suggested we either order that week because prices were about to jump 30%, or... wait 45 days because they'll probably come back down.
It's all just a reminder that some things are beyond our control. It makes us extra glad to have served you, whether that's been for 30 years or you just made your first order.
And so, we ask that if you know someone who deserves a spice cabinet that finally stacks up to their culinary ambitions, you'll send them our way. Your endorsement is the best one there is.
Thank you! Here's to an aromatic, tasty finish to the year.
