Burlap & Barrel was founded in New York City by Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar in 2016 with the dream of building equitable, transparent, and traceable international spice supply chains. It began with Wild Mountain Cumin; Ethan brought the spice home from his non-profit work in Afghanistan to share with friends in the restaurant industry, who instantly fell in love with it. The farmers in Badakhshan that Ethan sourced the cumin from were equally excited by the potential of having direct access to the U.S. market. He teamed up with Ori (not for the first time – they created Guerrilla Ice Cream together in 2010!) and began building their direct trade model that would connect spice farmers in Zanzibar and Guatemala with home cooks and professional chefs alike here in the U.S. Ten years later, Burlap & Barrel is made of a passionate remote team of 20 spread across the country, working with hundreds of farmers all over the world.
Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning that they value public benefit alongside their profits. Like us here at the Deli, they are dedicated to equitable sourcing, direct supply chains, and mutually supportive relationships between producer and seller. Their stated public benefit is “to promote the reduction of inequality and exploitation in food systems by connecting farmers to high-value markets, helping them access a larger share of the product value chain, and establishing long-term, mutually beneficial trade relationships.” Burlap & Barrel works directly with small farms and cooperatives rather than working through brokers in an effort to keep the supply chain short and transparent, which benefits everyone from the farmers to the consumers. Most supply chains for spices are kept opaque in order to obscure the legacies of the colonial spice trade, which systemically disenfranchises farmers. By replacing this system, Burlap & Barrel is creating a spice trade that is not only better for their partner farmers and the environment, but for the flavor of the spices themselves. Burlap & Barrel pay their partners farmers anywhere from twice to ten times the commodity price; since the launch of the company in 2016, their partner farmers have been paid over $6.5 million!
What’s Single Origin?
Burlap & Barrel’s spices are not only grown and harvested with traditional and sustainable methods; they are also single origin! Most spices you’ll find in large supermarkets are blended from dozens, even hundreds of farms across multiple countries for the sake of cost and consistency. This sacrifices flavor and the story. Single origin spices are dried, cleaned, ground, and in the cases of their line of Origin Blends, blended at their origin. Every single spice from Burlap & Barrel can be traced back to a single farm they work with. This way, the unique flavors and the stories from every corner of the world are preserved, and their partner farmers earn more for the hard work they do. You’ll find the term “single origin” in other foods like chocolate, olive oil, honey, and more — many of which appear on our shelves!
How to Make the Most of Your Spices at Home
As with most things in your kitchen, the faster you use your spices, the better they taste. There’s some variation depending on the spice in question, but typically you have about three years from harvest to get the best aroma and flavor. Most spices in large supermarkets spend a lot of time in transit, in warehouses, and on the shelves at the store. All that time results in a loss in flavor! By sourcing directly from partner farms, Burlap & Barrel shrinks that processing time and guarantees peak freshness, which gives you more valuable time with the spices in your own kitchen.
When checking the freshness of spices in your kitchen, look for any signs of fading in color or loss of aroma or flavor. You can also check the jar for a manufacturing date. To keep them fresh as long as possible, store your spices in a dry space out of direct sunlight. In the fridge, condensation builds up and compromises the spices.
On Our Shelves
We are so thrilled to have an ever-expanding collection of Burlap & Barrel’s spices. You can expect to see this list grow over time!
Adobo: Created with James Beard Award–winner Illyanna Maisonet, this salt-free adobo blend is deeply flavorful and representative of Illyanna Maisonet’s family recipe. Perfect for all your favorite Puerto Rican cuisine.
Al Baraka Nigella Seeds: Sourced from a family farm in Fayoum, Egypt, these inky little seeds bring a nutty, herbal, gently roasty flavor that bakers and cheesemakers have loved for centuries.
Anatolian Sage: Grown in a small town along Turkey’s Black Sea coast, this delicate-leafed Anatolian sage brings rich, grounding flavor to long-simmered stews, gravies, and roasted or grilled meats.
Cali Guisada: Also made in collaboration with Illyanna Maisonet, this deeply savory Puerto Rican–inspired blend draws on her childhood memories of slow-cooked Cali guisadas, layered with sun-dried tomato, smoked paprika, toasted onion, and garlic for rich, all-day-braise flavor.
Cinnamon Quills: These slender quills are made just for Burlap & Barrel in Sri Lanka from young Cinnamon verum bark (aka Ceylon or “true” cinnamon). Warm, sweet, and beautifully fragrant, their flavor blooms when heated.
Cloud Forest Cardamom: These whole cardamom pods are grown in the cloud forests of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Add these to dishes at the beginning of the cooking process, or crack open a few pods into a mortar and pestle!
Creole Seasoning: This Creole blend comes from chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle Provisions. This seasoning celebrates the flavors of the African diaspora and Black culinary traditions.
Euphrates Mint: Grown along the banks of the Euphrates River in southern Turkey, one of the world’s oldest farming regions. This mint is remarkably sweet, bright, and intense.
Fermented White Pepper: Funky, cheesy, and effervescent. These white peppercorns are grown and fermented in Bangka Island, Indonesia. Add to a steak to mimic the flavor of dry-aging or use on veggies and meats for heat and depth.
Five Spice: Named for the five traditional Chinese flavors (sweet, bitter, tart, salty and savory), this blend actually originates in Hanoi, Vietnam. A great companion to any protein.
Herbes de Provence: She’s aromatic. She’s balanced. She’s iconic. The cornerstone of French cooking — let her work her savory magic on your root veggies and sauces.
Kashmiri Chili: A staple in Indian Cuisine, this spicy chili powder can be used to round out any dish where you might use Cayenne or Hot Paprika
Kebab Blend: Warm, savory, and quietly complex. A classic Turkish blend, made at origin with chili, garlic, cumin and allspice. Stone-ground with a touch of sunflower oil for vibrant flavor and a soft, almost paste-like texture. Try it with: grilled meats, hearty fish, or slow-roasted vegetables.
Limestone Rosemary: Piney, aromatic, and beautifully clean, this rosemary is grown in Provence by a cooperative of partner farmers, where sun, soil, and slow growing do the heavy lifting.
Lucknow Fennel: Lucknow fennel is a bright, grassy, naturally sweet variety with small green ridged seeds that shine in both savory and sweet dishes. This one comes from Rajasthan, grown on the family farm of partner farmer Negi.
New Harvest Tumeric: High quality, floral, and slightly sweet, this Indian-grown turmeric has none of the metallic bitterness you might find in a lower-quality turmeric.
Pasilla Chili: Pasilla chilis are indigenous to the Puebla region of Mexico. Fruity cocoa notes and smoky heat give dishes sweet complexity.
Purple Peppercorns: Picked at peak ripeness, this fruity little peppercorn smells like strawberries and kicks like jalepeños.
Purple Shallot Slices: Sweet, savory, and deeply umami, these dried slices add instant allium magic to rice, noodles, stews, and braises. They make a crunchy little crown for green beans, veggies, and grain bowls. Pro tip: one big pinch = about ½ a fresh shallot.
Purple Stripe Garlic: Grown high in the mountains of northern Vietnam, this heirloom Purple Stripe garlic is naturally sweet, deeply savory, and rich with a buttery aroma that plays well with just about everything.
Robusta Black Peppercorns: Named after the Robusta coffee plants that these peppercorns are companion crops to — fruity, herbaceous, and robust!
Silk Chili Flakes: Turkish Silk chilis are botanically the same as Aleppo pepper, but they aren’t grown in Syria, which makes them easier to obtain. Use in any recipe calling for Aleppo pepper or Marash pepper.
Timur Pepper: Timur peppers are rare, and they leave a tingly, buzzing sensation on the tongue, similar to Sichuan pepper. Citrusy, zesty, incredibly complex, and unlike anything you’ve tasted before.
Turkish Oregano Buds: Hand-picked in Turkey just before the flowers open, these tiny pinecone-shaped buds pack a zesty, bright oregano flavor with a spicy, slightly hoppy twist. Crumble them into salad dressings, pasta, and pizza, rub onto meats, or sneak a pinch into your grilled cheese. Pantry staple status: imminent.
Wild Mountain Cumin: Hailing from the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, these whole cumin seeds are perfectly bright and umami.
Wild Ramps: On the East Coast, wild ramps cause a springtime frenzy farmers markets buzz, menus brag, and then poof…they’re gone. These slow-growing forest onions take years to mature, which makes their savory, earthy allium flavor a fleeting luxury. Until now. This jar lets you sprinkle that wild, garlicky-onion magic any time of year. No foraging boots required.
Zanzibar Peppercorns: These chocolate-colored peppercorns are dried in the sun for a bright, fruity, and spicy peppercorn. Burlap & Barrel is the exclusive importer of Zanzibar pepper in the United States.
Featured Spices in Our Butcher’s Monthly Boxes
It’s easier than ever to create high-quality, flavorful meals at home. Burlap & Barrel is going to be a featured partner in our Butcher’s Monthly boxes! Each box will feature a spice or spice blend from Burlap & Barrel to pair with that month’s meat and groceries.
