Welcome to a World of Incredible Flavor: Company Review of Burlap and Barrel

Last year I was on a mission to find companies to support that were more environmentally friendly and while listening to a podcast I was introduced to Burlap and Barrel, and I have not looked back!

They work towards ending inequality and exploitation in food systems by connecting smallholder farmers to high-volume markets, educating consumers, and sourcing unique spices that are grown organically and sustainably. 

When you think of sustainability what comes to mind? Most likely the impact on the environment or the impact on animals. Rarely does this take into account the people involved in growing, harvesting, transporting, processing, and cooking food. Burlap and Barrel strives to help the standard measures of sustainability to evolve to include the conditions in which farmers who drive the global food supply chains earn their livelihoods.

They do this through single origin spices. By drawing attention to the unique environments in which these incredible ingredients grow and to the farmers with the expertise and commitment to grow them well.

Burlap and Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation. This means that they are a spice supply chain that is equitable, transparent, and traceable.  They source spices directly from farmer cooperatives and small farmers bypassing brokers and middlemen. They visit farms and spend time with the farmers, learning firsthand about the economic, social, and cultural factors behind their farming methods.

The farmers benefit from greater financial security through purchase commitments, shared knowledge from across their global farmer network, and support in expanding on-site value activities like sorting, grinding, and packaging to increase their revenue.

Most spice supply chains are completely opaque. Where the spices are grown, who grew them, and how they were grown in usually a mystery. The systems we live with today were designed to disenfranchise farmers and shortchange consumers. Burlap and Barrel brings spices to the consumer that come from transparent, direct supply chains. They pay their farmers 2-10X the commodity price. 

So, the big question...what does it mean to be single origin? This means that all of their spices can be traced back to a single area of production, even a single farm or cooperative of farmers. Other spices are sourced from many different farms or countries, high- and low-quality spices are blended together and as a result much of the flavor is lost along the way.

Another huge part is the freshness of the spices. Generally, from the time a spice is harvested it has a shelf life of 3 years. And ground spices have an even shorter span. Most spices you get at the supermarket have spent several years in transit (in warehouses, distribution centers, and the store shelf). Commodity spices have traded hands 15+ times and have taken years en route to the market. Burlap and Barrel sources directly from the farms, bringing the spices to the consumer at peak freshness, faster, and with a longer shelf life. This also means the color is better, the aroma is better, and usually you can use less of the spice to get the flavor you desire. In my experience though...your spices will not sit for years and not get used they are that good. 

Environmentally speaking the jars are made from recyclable materials and can be recycled or you can do what I do and clean them and reuse them for blends made (i.e.: creole, steak seasoning). The spices are free from preservatives, fillers, anything artificial, gluten, soy, egg, dairy, and nuts. I love that each jar tells me exactly where the spice came from and gives me ideas on how to use it. 

 The website www.burlapandbarrel.com has some great tips on how to use the spices, of course a shop where you can purchase the spices, a recipe catalog for inspiration, a spice quiz, you can build a set, and they have a quarterly subscription. Most of the spices range from $9-12, even though it is a bit more than the store the quality is amazing! There is also a Facebook group called the Burlap and Barrel Spice Forum where you can swap recipes, ask for inspiration, you can connect with the farmers that grew the spices, and I've even had contact with a chef from an HBO cooking show called, La Pitchoune: Cooking in France! The show airs on HBO Max and they use the Burlap and Barrel spices at their cooking school!

To learn more, you can watch Shark Tank this Friday, April 7th, at 7pm. The co-founders of Burlap and Barrel are going to be on sharing Burlap and Barrel with the sharks. They have a special shark tank collection available for purchase https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/shark-tank-spices?variant=43435969478810.

If you are interested in trying the spices out. I found a discount code, RISEUP, and was able to get the Dill and Parsley blend for free. I was not able to find out if you need to spend a specified amount first to be honest, but feel free to try it out. Also, if you place an order and it is over $45 then shipping is free. 

If you would like suggestions on a spice to try my favorites are: Black Lime, Toasted Onion Powder, Purple Stripe Garlic, Silk Chili, and Tomato Powder. They also have blends that I love like the Jollof blend, the Pumpkin Pie Spice blend, the Garam Masala is good as well. I cannot tell you how wonderful the colors and aromas of these spices are! If only you could smell them through the computer!

Here's to a world of incredible flavor that is equitably sourced and new spices that are unique and have never before been available in the US. 

*For copyright purposes all info obtained in the post was from the Burlap and Barrel website*