Press
We've been honored to receive coverage from incredible journalists and publications.
Are you a journalist interested in our work? Email Ethan at ethan@burlapandbarrel.com
Don’t Underestimate Garlic Powder
Epicurious | Genevieve Yam | November 2022
“[Hetty] McKinnon, who uses Burlap & Barrel’s Purple Stripe Garlic Powder in salad dressings, marinades, and for seasoning roasted vegetables, thinks the ingredient has been misunderstood. ‘Perhaps there’s this kind of snobbiness towards using something that’s powdered,’ she says. ‘But I think once you experiment with it, you see the nuances of the product.’”
White Pepper Versus Black Pepper: What’s the Difference?
Food Network | Layla Khoury-Hanold | November 2022
"Black pepper and white pepper obviously differ in color, but the differences don’t stop there. For more info, we consulted Ethan Frisch, co-founder and co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel, a single origin spice company sourcing high-quality spices for home cooks and professional chefs."
When To Use Garlic Powder Vs. Granulated Garlic
Tasting Table | Emily Boyette | November 2022
"Ethan Frisch, the co-founder of the spice company Burlap & Barrel, explains to The Washington Post that he likes "to use powder in anything where you don't really want the garlic to be visible, and you want the flavor to be fully infused into whatever you're cooking." Overall, it's a great go-to when you don't have time to mince garlic yourself or don't know how to mince garlic extra fine, but still want the flavor to elevate your dish.”
My Restaurant Did Everything Right and We Still Had to Close
Food & Wine | Ari Miller | November 2022
"The ingredients: silk chili flakes from Turkey by way of Burlap & Barrel, a company actively working to empower farmers and disrupt a demonic international spice trade.”
14 Food Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Bon Appétit | Mackenzie Chung Fegan | November 2022
“Brooklyn Delhi can do no wrong; we’re big fans of their garlic and tomato achaars. Their sweet mango chutney is terrific as well, but this year they upped the ante and released a fiery version incorporating Kashmiri chilis from beloved spice company Burlap & Barrel. Your cheese plates will never be the same.”
2022 Holiday Gift Guide
The Washington Post | Anna Luisa Rodriguez | November 2022
“Burlap & Barrel: Spice Club annual subscription: Spice up someone’s life with this subscription that includes four seasonal shipments of four full-size single-origin spices, such as toasted onion, herbes de Provence and black lime.”
Burlap & Barrel Introduces New Line of Spice Blends
The New York Times | Florence Fabricant | August 2022
“Burlap & Barrel, the Queens spice company with global sources, has introduced spice blends made in their countries of origin for the first time…”
What Is Nutmeg? And What About Its Cousin Mace?
Bon Appétit | Alma Avalle | November 2022
“Still, there’s a world of nutmeg applications beyond just sweet, autumnal bakes. “Nutmeg has much wider applications than people generally realize,” says Ethan Frisch, cofounder of the Burlap & Barrel spice company.”
This Spice Blend Will Improve Any Baked Good (Especially Holiday Cookies)
Bon Appétit | Shilpa Uskokovic | November 2022
“In August our test kitchen launched a peppery pastrami-inspired spice rub that I developed in collaboration with Burlap & Barrel, a NYC–based company that equitably sources the funnest, freshest spices on the market. By September I was knee-deep working out the details on our next drop: a baking blend to thrill new and seasoned bakers alike. Here, a tour of all the behind-the scenes action.”
There Are Three Rules to Giving the Perfect Gift
Bloomberg | Matthew Kronsberg | November 2022
“Burlap & Barrel sources exotic ingredients that will make just about anything taste better.”
A Beginner's Guide to Sumac: Get to Know this Versatile, Vibrant ingredient
Greatest | Pamela Vachon | November 2021
"You can bring a taste of the Middle East and North Africa home by getting to know one of the most popular flavors of the region: sumac. This Middle Eastern spice deserves a spot in everyone’s pantry."
11 Essential Gifts to Keep Their Cooking Fresh Through Winter
The Thrillist | Rayna Rossitto | November 2021
"These aren’t your average store-bought spices. Burlap & Barrel uses transparent and equitable practices to source its products, so people can feel good about sprinkling them in their pickling liquids. This trio has three different types of chili flakes that range from savory to sweet. It also comes packaged in a beautiful gift box — win!"
How to Make Your Home Feel Like a Cozy Cabin
The New York Times | Katie Okamoto & Daniela Gorny | November 2021
"Katie says, 'I also love Burlap & Barrel’s lightly smoky Cobanero Chili Flakes for pretty much everything when I want to feel warm.' Supervising editor Daniela Gorny is also a fan. For the spice obsessed, she recommends a subscription to Burlap & Barrel’s Spice Club, which will ensure fresh seasonings for all your pies, soups, stews, and braises."
The Best Cinnamon Spices Up Both Sweet and Savory Cooking
Saveur | Naomi Tomky | November 2021
"Burlap & Barrel’s impeccable sourcing turns out fresh products simply on another level. While most of the ground cinnamon we tested paled during baking, this one came out of the oven still kicking. While it had a bit of tannic flavor on the finish, the strong, rich spice overpowered it enough not to matter. Sadly, something about the fine grind on the cinnamon and the packaging meant that it made a bit of a mess every time we opened the jar."
Blue Turmeric Is the Latest Super Spice to Shake Up Pantry Shelves
Bloomberg | Kate Krader | August 2021
"Think of a popular superfood, and turmeric will be near the top of the list. It’s achieved that status because of perceived anti-inflammatory properties that may help alleviate joint pain and high blood pressure. Turmeric is a key ingredient in curry powder, and today can be found as an add-in to just about any smoothie, grain bowl, and latte.
"But there’s one variety of the ubiquitous spice that is only now gaining traction in the U.S.: blue turmeric."
These Single-Origin Spices Transformed my Pantry, and I'll Never Cook with Anything Else
Food & Wine | Laura Denby | July 2021
"After tasting the spices and learning about the company's sourcing efforts and quality standards, I couldn't believe I had been living in a world of dull and flavorless spices for so long. Burlap & Barrel opened my eyes to what dry spices should taste like, and believe me, it's nothing like what I was using before. The products are sourced directly from small farmers who grow them sustainably using traditional techniques, in an effort to highlight the unique terroir of global regions. The company is working to end the inequality and exploitation of skilled farmers by buying directly from them, which helps keep quality up and prices down.
"These spices are vibrantly pungent with tasting notes strong enough to rival a complex glass of wine. I'm working on replacing all of my old spices with undoubtedly better versions from Burlap & Barrel, and if you're still hanging on to that jar of clumpy paprika from two apartments ago, you probably should, too."
F&W Game Changers: Superior Spices
Food & Wine | Priya Krishna | June 2021
"Before starting his company with business partner Ori Zohar, Frisch worked at New York restaurants that got whole animals from Pennsylvania farms, but for spices, "sourcing was an afterthought." He later became an aid worker in Afghanistan and would bring back spices in his backpack for chef friends. They were wowed by the flavor.
"But finding farms willing to set up an entirely new supply chain takes a lot of work. Frisch says most farmers he visits are reluctant to challenge the existing system, however exploitative it is, because it practically guarantees their spices get sold. Under a direct-trade model like Burlap & Barrel's, though, farmers are able to pocket more revenue, Frisch says. 'The farmer, rather than initiating the supply chain, is in control of it.'"
17 Notable Chefs on the Essential Items They Always Keep in the Pantry
Inside Hook | Eli London | April 2021
"Even if there’s salt and pepper, I’d still want to bring Zanzibar Black Peppercorns from Burlap & Barrel and Pink Salt from Murray River Salt. One of my favorite black peppers, the Zanzibar Black Peppercorn grinder is perfect for just about everything, from crusting a steak to finishing a fresh salad." - Greg Baxtrom, Chef-Owner, Olmsted and Maison Yaki
"Everyone should have a spice blend on hand they can throw onto anything to up-level the flavor and Burlap & Barrel X Floyd Cardoz ‘s Garam Masala is that blend for me. I sprinkle it on cauliflower and roast it in the oven, on a piece of wild-caught salmon or even on tofu and just that little dusting of sweet, spicy, smoky flavor notes (think cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and so on) is enough to completely elevate a dish." - Kanchan Koya, Founder, Spice Spice Baby
Tomato Powder Packs Big Tomato Flavor in a Very Small Jar
Bon Appetit | Sarah Jampel | April 2021
"Burlap & Barrel's version, which is made from a particular variety of tomato grown along the coastline of the Aegean Sea in Turkey and dried in the sun, on the other hand, is an orangey-umber color with a saltier, tangier taste."
Meet the New York founders disrupting a 4,000-year-old industry and taking on "Big Spice"
The Business of Business | Nina Roberts | March 2021
"By cutting out the middlemen, Burlap & Barrel can offer fresher spices, so potent that they suggest new customers use just half a serving at first. 'We initially got complaints that it was too strong,' says Zohar, who countered with a laugh, 'You are just cooking with old spices! This is how it should be.' Supermarket spices sometimes have been in transit for three years."
Sohla El-Wally Buys This Puckery Spice by the Pound
The New York Times | Sohla El-Waylly | March 2021
"Instead, Burlap & Barrel ethically sources wild sumac from small farms in Turkey, where they chop the berries before packing them in salt to cure. None of it is dried or mechanically ground. The result is a sticky, fluffy, and bright spice that’s more than just acid—the curing process preserves the berry’s floral aroma and tender texture, so it tastes just picked."
For Maximum Flavor, Make These Spice Blends at Home
New York Times | Melissa Clark | February 2021
"Cooks should feel free to bring a certain measure of their own personality and preferences to the blending process, said Ethan Frisch, who founded Burlap & Barrel, an importer and online spice shop, with his business partner Ori Zohar in 2016.
“'There’s a sense of orthodoxy in blending that really shouldn’t exist,' Mr. Frisch said. 'Spice blends have always reflected the person blending them.'"
Rare Cobanero Chile Flakes Are How Home Chefs Spice Up Home-Cooked Meals
Bloomberg | Kate Krader | February 2021
"Although cobaneros are sometimes smoked, Burlap & Barrel’s are sun-dried, which brings out warm, toasty notes. Connie Chung, chef and co-owner of the fast-casual Chinese restaurant Milu in New York, uses them to give flavorful heat to her vibrant chile crisp sauce, which she sells in jars and spoons over fried chicken nuggets. 'I hate spicy food that’s just spicy and nothing else,' she says. 'This brings fruitiness and smokiness, too.'"
Meet Five Spice Company Founders Demystifying the Industry
Eater | Sophia E. Gottfried | January 2021
"Burlap & Barrel is just one of several businesses to emerge over the last five years that urge chefs and home cooks alike to think about who grows their dash of cardamom or heaping spoonful of chile. Despite the growing demand for spices around the world, the industry remains opaque when it comes to regulation. For centuries, colonial powers grew, sold, and transported spices at the expense of the communities that cultivated them, and the structures that Europeans established to subjugate and disenfranchise farmers linger today. According to Frisch, from India to Zanzibar to Guatemala, in spice-growing regions around the world, the system is built on farmers making no money.'
Chef Floyd Cardoz's Wife, Barkha, Launches Spice Line to Honor Late Husband
Food & Wine | Khushbu Shah | October 2020
"In January, after nearly a year of development, his blends, in partnership with budding spice company Burlap & Barrel, were finally ready. The chef made plans during a trip to Mumbai where he saw Burlap & Barrel’s co-founder Ethan Frisch to go blend the spices in upstate New York when they both returned. That trip never materialized. Tragically, Cardoz passed away shortly after in March, due to complications from the coronavirus.
"Barkha Cardoz, Floyd’s wife, refused to let the project die with him. “This is his legacy,” she says. 'It was his dream to get every person on the face of this earth to have Indian spices in their kitchen cabinets. He just wanted everyone to love Indian flavors as much as he did.'"
Late Chef Floyd Cardoz’s Last Unfinished Project, A New Spice Line, Arrives This Weekend
Eater | Erika Adams | October 2020
"An unfinished culinary project by Floyd Cardoz — the celebrated restaurateur and chef who dies in March due to complications from COVID-19 — is now being carried forward by his family and friends. That project, a line of spice blends with NYC shop Burlap & Barrel, launches on Sunday courtesy of a partnership between Burlap and Barrel...and Cardoz’s wife, chef Barkha Cardoz."
For Garlic Powder, A Working Seasoning Finally Gets Its Turn in the Limelight
Los Angeles Times | Ben Mims | September 2020
"Burlap & Barrel’s purple-gray powder is more earthy, with no raw garlic sting. Of all the powders I tasted, this one was the most outright aromatic, smelling assertively of lemongrass and toasted nuts."
All Your Favorite Foods Are Stuck in Transit
Heated | Naomi Tomky | September 2020
"The company...helps the smallholding farmers who grow the coveted spices they sell — Guatemalan cardamom, Vietnamese cinnamon, and Egyptian fennel seeds — navigate the entire export and Food and Drug Administration approval to bring them into the U.S.
“Shipping and logistics are the foundation of everything that we do,” Frisch said. But when de facto lockdown stopped all flights to and from the island of Zanzibar — where his company sources black peppercorns, Pemba cloves, nutmeg, and various cinnamon products — it led to an entirely new experience navigating international shipping to get the spices to quarantined American customers."
Spice World
Tablet Magazine | Leah Koenig | August 2020
"The pair also hoped to shift the traditional narrative of spice acquisition. Single-origin ingredients as a model had made inroads in the tea, coffee, and chocolate trades, but there has traditionally been scarce access to spices sourced via a fully transparent supply chain. Frisch began building relationships with growers he met through his contacts with international NGOs. 'Many of these farmers were looking for ways to directly export their products,' he said. Today, Burlap & Barrel helps the growers do exactly that, eliminating the middleman and getting the spices directly into customers’ hands. 'That almost never happens in the spice trade,' Zohar said."
Learning About Single Origin Spices
America's Test Kitchen | Carolyn Grillo | August 2020
"Cooking with these spices has been a game-changer. They’re more complex, aromatic, and flavorful than any spices I’ve used before. After I did some research I discovered why—they’re sourced from single farms and come through a shorter supply chain."
Burlap & Barrel Helps Couples Spice Up Home-Cooked Meals
DatingAdvice.com | Amber Brooks | August 2020
"'Cooking is a good relationship test and joint activity,' said Burlap & Barrel Co-Founder Ori Zohar. 'You get to know your partner in the kitchen. Are they a rule breaker or recipe follower? It’s fun to see how you work together as a team, and at the end of it, you get to eat a delicious meal.'"
Bay Area Direct-Trade Spice Companies Bring Equity & Fresh Spices into the Kitchen
San Francisco Chronicle | Janelle Bitker | April 2020
"Burlap & Barrel has a classic Bay Area origin story. Zohar moved to San Francisco to launch a mortgage startup several years ago. Venture-backed and fast-tracked, it quickly grew to 100 employees. But due to a predatory investor, Zohar said he had to shrink the company and rapidly sell in 2017.
"Around the same time, he heard from an old chef friend in New York, Ethan Frisch, who wanted Zohar’s entrepreneurial perspective on some spices he’d picked up while living in Afghanistan. Frisch flew out to San Francisco, and Zohar remembers setting up a meeting at one of the city’s top restaurants, fanning out little unmarked baggies of spices, including black cumin seeds so tiny you don’t even need to toast or grind them, foraged in the mountains.
"'We realized that if chefs who have access to all the best ingredients in the world were getting so excited about spices that he had brought back in his checked bags, then there was a real business here,' Zohar said."
How Chefs Are Helping at the Greenmarket
Grub Street - New York Magazine | Nina Roberts | April 2020
"Ethan Frisch, a co-founder of the spice company Burlap & Barrel, is one of Kurdieh’s new volunteers, working 60 hours a week. '6 a.m. start times — it’s intense,' he laughs. Still, he says, 'As somebody who’s been involved in food and food activism and food systems in various ways for a long time, it seemed like it was a pretty worthy cause — helping farmers get their produce to market, and helping people stuck in New York City get beautiful fresh veggies.'"
Shutting Down the USPS Would be a Disaster for Small Businesses
Food & Wine | Kristen Hawley | April 2020
"Ori Zohar, co-founder of single-origin spice company Burlap & Barrel, says...'We spend more than $10,000 with the U.S. Post Office each month. The USPS allows us to reach remote places across America and Canada and even overseas military bases. They deliver to places where UPS and Fedex can't or won't.'"
Spicing Things Up on All of It with Allison Stewart
WNYC - NPR | April 2020
"Ethan Frisch talks about spicing up our traditional holiday meals and every day recipes with new spices and new uses for old spices."
The Bean King of Rancho Gordo on his Favorite Things
GQ Magazine | Gabriella Paiella | March 2020
"When it comes to spices, Sando turns to Burlap & Barrel. 'Their cumin changed my world. It's from Afghanistan,' he said. 'And, I will be honest with you, the idea of spices is like, "Yeah, yeah, they should be fresh, blah, blah, blah." Getting their spices made me realize, "Oh, this is a game changer."’"
When I'm Feeling Chaotic, Gentle Food is There For Me
Healthyish | Christina Chaey | March 2020
"In the middle of trying to practice social distancing, it feels more important than ever for me to eat, cook, buy, and generally support things that come from humans I respect and admire, like Rancho Gordo beans or Burlap & Barrel spices."
Kelp Flakes Are My New Crudites Move
Epicurious | Emily Johnson | March 2020
"I needed a new way to season crudités. It was then that I found kelp flakes. The Wild Icelandic Kelp Flakes from fair trade spice purveyor Burlap & Barrel are harvested from the depths of the freezing cold waters of the North Atlantic and, according to the label on the jar 'dried and ground...in a carbon-neutral facility powered by geothermal energy.' Wow, just wow."
5 Flavor Boosting Ingredients to Make Your Spice Cabinet Feel Fresh Again
Epicurious | Kendra Vaculin | March 2020
"Cinnamon leaf: This is not the stuff you find in your favorite breakfast pastry. The versions of cinnamon you likely have in your pantry already—sticks and ground—come from the bark of the cinnamon tree. It turns out the leaves are just as useful, though they've long been overlooked as a harvesting byproduct. Spicy and pungent, though milder than their bark-derived brethren, cinnamon leaves are commonly sold dried. They look like extra large bay leaves, and can be used in many of the same ways as the bark. Throw a leaf or two into a braise, a pot of rice, or a long-cooking stew for a subtly sweet, complex flavor—just be sure to pull it out before serving. Senior Food Editor Anna Stockwell is very excited to get a bag for her pantry: 'Using them to infuse cream for panna cotta is at the top of my to-do list!'"
This Cinnamon Tastes Like It's Spiked with Sugar (It's Not)
Bon Appetit Healthyish | Sarah Jampel | March 2020
"I ended a recent dinner party with a humble-looking applesauce cake that turned out to be way more delicious than it had any right to be. When my friends quizzed me on the exact ingredients, I was forced to fess up and pass around the jar of cinnamon that was solely responsible for the cake's "wow" factor. I ended up dishing out tiny spoons so my friends could taste the cinnamon straight-up. I swear I don’t normally do this, but they had to understand that this cake was built on Burlap & Barrel’s Royal Cinnamon and Burlap & Barrel's Royal Cinnamon alone."
Innovators: The Spice Sommelier Fighting for Fairness
Food & Wine, The Innovators Issue | Sarah Khan | February 2020
"Though chefs increasingly take care when sourcing meat and produce, spices are still often overlooked. Batches from different regions are mixed together haphazardly, with cooks none the wiser that the flavors in their kitchens are feeble wisps of what they could be. Frisch himself imparts the wisdom of a spice sommelier, pointing out hints of orange rind in fresh cinnamon bark or the dry, tannic quality of nutmeg."
Zanzibar in the Rain
New York Times, Travel | Sarah Khan | January 2020
"These days, Zanzibar’s purported spice farms tend to mainly be for show, staging tours and performances geared toward visitors. In fact, many of the spices on sale in Zanzibar’s markets are imported. Seeking a less commercial outing, I joined Mr. Flury and Ethan Frisch, a New York-based entrepreneur whose company, Burlap & Barrel, imports spices directly from farmers around the world. Mr. Frisch was in Zanzibar on a sourcing trip, and on a rare morning when the sun pried its way out of the clouds and held the raindrops at bay, I tagged along as they met with farmers growing nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper."
The Magic Salad Dressing We Always Save for Last
Food52 | Ori Zohar | January 2020
"What I love most about this dressing is that you can toss it on whatever’s in season—spinach or endives in the winter, avocados in the spring, tomatoes in the summer. It’s also very easy to alter. Try adding different spices, herbs, citruses, salts, or ground peppercorns. When it comes to spicing up my salad dressing, I love to use black lime or cured sumac for a savory, citrusy zing; smoked paprika for an unexpectedly wonderful smoky flavor; or ground garlic or ginger for a tinge of warm sweetness."
How Spices Have Made, and Unmade, Empires
New York Times Style Magazine | Ligaya Mishan | November 2019
"Dávila and González’s current crop is still in the ground, but the harvest of fellow farmers in their cooperative is available in the United States through Burlap & Barrel, a spice purveyor based in New York. Ethan Frisch, one of the company’s founders, visited the couple last spring and was intrigued to find that they had no plans to use their turmeric in the kitchen. He asked if they might try the leaves, if not the spice itself, the way they use banana leaves, to wrap tamales. Eyebrows were raised. A crazy notion, to change the way things have been done for hundreds of years."
Spice company links farmers with American palates
CBS Small Business Spotlight | November 2019
"Spice maestro Ethan Frisch has become a friend to farmers across the world. The relationship started when the former New York City chef was distributing aid in Afghanistan and came across ingredients he'd never tasted before. He thought those flavors should be in American kitchens, too.
But Frisch emphasizes that the farmers are front and center of Burlap & Barrel's business. 'It's about highlighting a farmer's skill often honed over generations, to grow something that's absolutely exceptional and then just figuring out that last step of the supply chain. The hard work is done before we show up.'"
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Learn Every Single Technique for Cooking with Spices
Pro Home Cooks | November 2019
"There are so many different ways to use spices but today I breakdown 10 different ways to use spices from dry finishing to oil infusing with the help of Ethan from Burlap & Barrel. We make an entire meal complete with four different sides ranging from an urfa infused yogurt dip to an afghan inspired rice using a blend we create on our own. We break down each technique for you, teach you how to use some of the spices, tell you the best ways to store your spices, and even tell you how to get the most flavor from your spices!"
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The Stories Behind Our Food
Equal Exchange Podcast | November 2019
“'Where do you go to find the most unusual spices? Former chef Ethan Frisch travels all over the world. More specifically, he seeks out farmers who are growing herbs and seasonings of exceptional quality, and through his company, Burlap & Barrel, he helps them connect with a global market. This month on The Stories Behind Our Food, Ethan joined us for a conversation about fair trade and the entrepreneurial spirit.”
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How Technology is Changing the Spice Trade
Experience Magazine | Alison Stein | November 2019
“'Burlap & Barrel is one of several companies that have pioneered the sale of single-source, ethically-sourced spices — a new way of doing business in one of the world’s oldest and most storied industries. By leveraging technology such as smartphones to flatten its supply chain, the company pays its farmer suppliers five to ten times the going rate. Its customers include famous restaurant kitchens like Manhattan’s Eleven Madison Park, powerhouse companies such as Brooklyn Brewery, and cooks in their home kitchens.”
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So Much of What I Believed About My Spice Cabinet is Wrong: Burlap & Barrel Will Change the Way you Think About Spices
Food & Wine | Margaret Eby | November 2019
"Trying some of the New Harvest Turmeric and the Wild Cumin Seeds from Burlap & Barrel up against the generic brands I had in my spice cabinet was one of those suddenly-I-see-in-technicolor moments, like eating a farmer’s market tomato in mid-August after only having the watery beefsteaks from the supermarket aisle your whole life. The flavor wasn’t just much stronger, it also had so much more complexity and nuance."
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The Spicy Big Apple
Atmosphere Magazine | Annalisa Angelini | Oct-Nov 2019
“With a taste profile like that, no wonder black Urfa is the hot taste in NYC right now. However, it’s not the only thing changing the food game. Burlap & Barrel’s commitment to fair and flavourful trade is creating a new dialogue between growers and chefs."
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The 9 Best Cinnamons of 2019
Spruce Eats | Donna Currie | October 2019
"Best Overall: Burlap & Barrel Cinnamon Verum Sourced from the Zanzibar Islands, this Ceylon cinnamon has notes of sea salt, brown sugar, and citrus peel."
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A Dash More Delicious: A New Way of Selling Spices Demystifies the Process to Deliver Greater Flavor and Freshness
Wall Street Journal | Jane Black | August 2019
“'It’s amazing how many people still have that 10-year-old jar of spices,' said Mr. Zohar of Burlap & Barrel, 'and how much better their food would taste if they had the courage to just Marie Kondo their spice drawer.'”
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Rising Stars: He's Making the Spice Trade Less Shady
OZY | Ximena Larkin | June 2019
"With Burlap & Barrel, Ethan Frisch is adding a dash of salt and pepper to the farm-to-table movement."
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How Sourness Has Come to Dominate Our Dining Habits and Our Discourse
New York Times Style Magazine | Ligaya Mishan | May 2019
"Sumac is a top seller at Burlap & Barrel, a Queens-based company that imports spices from small farms around the world and supplies restaurants like Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan and Nopa in San Francisco. Their version, from Gaziantep, Turkey, has an exceptional tang: The plant’s berries are cured, not sun-dried, and ground coarse to retain more juice and acid."
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Urfa Biber Is the Pantry Ingredient You’ve Probably Never Heard of (but Should Definitely Have on Hand)
PureWow | Katherine Gillen | May 2019
"Meet the latest spice cabinet darling that’s gracing our every meal: urfa biber."
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This Spice Company is Building an Ethically Sourced Supply Chain
Fast Company | Ben Paynter | February 2019
“'We’ve been trying to be really thoughtful about how we grow this business . . . for the things that we think are really important,' Zohar says. 'Which is farmer relationships and social impact.'”
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The One: Treat Your Taste Buds With Spices That Michelin-Starred Chefs Use
Bloomberg Businessweek | Matt Kronsberg | January 2019
"Burlap & Barrel sources exotic ingredients that will make just about anything taste better."
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How to Stock a Sustainable Pantry
Epicurious | May 2019
"This company sources flavorful spices (like, really, so much more flavorful than what you're buying at the regular grocery store) by partnering directly with farms around the world, giving cooks an incredible ingredient and bettering the livelihoods of their partner farmers."
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9 Chefs on their Favorite Sea Salts
The Strategist, NY MAG | May 2019
The 16 Best Things We Added to Our Pantry This Year
Bon Appetit | December 2018
Price Points: Spice Expert
Epicurious | October 2018
"In this episode of 'Price Points', Epicurious challenges spice expert Ethan Frisch of Burlap & Barrel to guess which one of two spices is more expensive. Ethan breaks down cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, chili flakes, cumin and smoked paprika. For each type, Ethan analyzes, smells, and taste tests before guessing which spice costs more. Once the prices are revealed, he explains why."
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The Cardamom Cowboy
Saveur | Max Falkowitz | September 2018
"Instead of ordering through the largely anonymous network of commodity wholesalers, Frisch buys directly from small, independent farms and pays them above-market rates to secure their best products."
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These Innovative Spice Companies Could Revolutionize Your Pantry
Edible Brooklyn | September 2018
"Ethan Frisch was living in Afghanistan, helping to develop infrastructure projects in a remote mountainous corner of the country, when he tasted cumin like he’d never tasted before. The wild spice, which was hand-harvested by Hindu Kush shepherds at altitudes of 12,000 feet, peppered many of the addictive pilaus and dupiazas that Frisch feasted on at roadside diners. Richly floral and packed with earthy flavor, it was as though the essence of cumin itself had been distilled into each tiny, crimped seed."
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It's Time to Start Buying Fair Trade Spices
Epicurious | August 2018
"A new group of direct-to-consumer spice companies are offering ethically sourced spices, delivered right to your front door."
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The Life: Spice Hunter
Popular Mechanics | Matt Allyn | May 2018
"Ethan Frisch travels the world to find the world's most incredible spices and support the generations-old family farms that grow them."
New Spice Company Sells Seasonings From the Source
New York Times | Florence Fabricant | July 2017
"Burlap & Barrel sells vibrant spices imported directly from small farms around the world."
A Former Chef Brings Direct Trade to the Spice World
Edible Brooklyn | Alicia Kennedy | March 2017
"Having a foot in the worlds of food and international development led Ethan Frisch to create his spice company, Burlap and Barrel. He’d worked as a line cook and pastry chef in both New York and London, an ice cream maker serving politically inspired flavors on city streets, and as a logistics manager and policy advisor with various international organizations. All of this combined gave him the perfect set of skills to bring, for example, wild mountain cumin from Afghanistan into the restaurants of New York City."
Restaurants of the Year 2018: Reem's
Food & Wine | April 2018
"The dough for those man’oushe breads gets its tang from a Tartine Bakery starter and may be topped with cumin from Burlap & Barrel, a company emphasizing ethical sourcing in Afghanistan, Palestine, and elsewhere."
How Burlap & Barrel is Disrupting the Spice Supply Chain
Food+Tech Connect | June 2017
"While eater demand for local, sustainable and organic food has grown, spices are often an after thought. As a result, the spice industry remains rooted in opaque practices that value neither fair labor practices or sustainability. Burlap & Barrel wants to change that through its single origin spice e-commerce platform. In additional to focusing on environmental sustainability, Burlap is committed to improving the welfare of smallholder spice farmers who are typically shortchanged in standard international supply chains."
Yes They Can! How the Queer Kitchen Brigade is Coming to Puerto Rico's Aid
Village Voice | Alicia Kennedy | November 2017
"'I really appreciate the grassroots aspect of their work, both here — volunteers making food with donated ingredients — and in Puerto Rico, delivering the pickles and other preserves to community groups,' [Frisch] said. 'Burlap & Barrel is all about connecting the ends of the spice supply chains, and I can’t think of any better way to do that than by using spices grown by rural farming communities in Vietnam, Egypt, and Canada to help feed their counterparts in Puerto Rico.'"
Burlap & Barrel Builds International Spice Supply Chain Networks
MAKE Magazine | August 2017
"Ethan Frisch is a former line cook and pastry chef of some of NYC’s top restaurants, and a former international aid worker that visited a variety of places, including Afghanistan and the Syrian/Jordanian border. 'As a professional cook, I learned about the importance of high quality ingredients, and as an aid worker, I worked with communities looking for international markets for the food they grew,' he says."
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