Burlap & Barrel
 | |
| Formation | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Products | Spices |
Burlap & Barrel is an American spice importer that sources sustainable, single-origin spices directly from farmers and foragers. It is a public benefit corporation.
History[edit]
The company was founded in 2016 by Ori Zohar and Ethan Frisch.[1][2]
In 2012, while working in Afghanistan for Doctors Without Borders, Frisch saw a vendor in a marketplace tossing cumin into the air to separate it from the chaff.[3][4] Frisch, who had worked in kitchens, bought some of the cumin, was impressed, and took some home with him when he returned to New York and shared it with chef friends. He interested Zohar, with whom he'd had a previous business.[1][5]
Frisch had travelled to Zanzibar in 2016 and taken a "spice tour", thinking he would see where spices were grown. Instead he was taken to markets, and when he asked if he could see where the spices were grown, he was told he could not because most of the spices in the markets were imported.[6][7]
The company names references the traditional packaging for spices.[2]
Business model[edit]
The company sources directly from farmers in Guatemala, Iceland, Spain, Turkey, Vietnam, and other places, and its products are single-origin.[1][8][6][5] According to Frisch and Zohar, sourcing directly from the farmers allows the farmers to keep more of the profits.[6] According to Fast Company, the company typically pays farmers between 5 and 20 times the commodity rate.[2]
The company is a public benefit corporation.[5][2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Koenig, Leah (2020-08-21). "Spice World". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ a b c d Paynter, Ben (2019-02-25). "This spice company is building an ethically sourced supply chain". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ Stein, Allison (2019-10-30). "How technology is changing the spice trade". Experience Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ Eby, Margaret (9 October 2019). "So Much of What I Believed About My Spice Cabinet Is Wrong". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04.
- ^ a b c Cerullo, Megan (25 November 2019). "Spice company links farmers around the globe with American palates". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ a b c Khan, Sarah (27 January 2020). "The Spice Sommelier Fighting for Fairness". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ Khan, Sarah (2020-01-22). "Zanzibar in the Rain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ "10 Things in the Food World We Loved in August | America's Test Kitchen". www.americastestkitchen.com. Retrieved 2021-04-26.