Burlap & Barrel
Burlap & Barrel is a public benefit corporation sourcing single-origin spices directly from smallholder farmers worldwide.
Founded
2016Burlap & Barrel is a public benefit corporation sourcing single-origin spices directly from smallholder farmers worldwide.
A live web search for Ethan Frisch's prior professional history (search document id b6702925-5e11-4410-97b1-6990bbf892a7) returned his LinkedIn public profile, but LinkedIn's guest view hides detailed experience titles, employers, and dates. A separate search for Ori Zohar's experience (search document id cda46c61-b95a-448f-ac25-45b364ca47a8) similarly returned only a high-level LinkedIn snippet and no additional named Company employers beyond those already captured.
The founders' bios, press profiles, and the company's About page name only the following prior roles: for Frisch, line cook/pastry-chef work in unnamed New York restaurants, Guerrilla Ice Cream, Aga Khan Foundation, and Doctors Without Borders; for Zohar, Integrated Media Solutions, Sindeo, and Guerrilla Ice Cream. No further source-backed Company-type employers were discoverable. Any remaining employment-history gaps are therefore source-backed unobtainable.
Burlap & Barrel sources single-origin spices directly from smallholder farmers and foragers across more than 25 countries, offering traceable, chef-quality ingredients such as Wild Mountain Cumin, Zanzibar Black Peppercorns, and Cloud Forest Cardamom. The company sells through its direct-to-consumer website, specialty retail stores, and foodservice partners, emphasizing freshness, transparency, and unique varietals rarely found in commodity spice channels.
Each product is harvested at peak ripeness and shipped quickly to preserve volatile oils and aroma, with detailed origin pages explaining the farm or cooperative, harvest method, and suggested culinary uses. The catalog spans peppercorns, chiles, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, vanilla, and custom spice blends aimed at home cooks and professional kitchens.
Global demand for premium, traceable, and ethically sourced spices is growing as consumers seek higher-quality ingredients and greater transparency into food origins. Burlap & Barrel is positioned to benefit from this shift because its direct-trade model and chef credibility align with premium grocery and foodservice trends.
The company can expand by adding new single-origin varietals, deepening retail and wholesale partnerships, and building subscription or pantry-bundle offerings. Competition from commodity spice brands, specialty grocers, and other direct-trade entrants will require continued investment in sourcing relationships and brand differentiation.
Burlap & Barrel differentiates itself by sourcing spices directly from smallholder farms rather than commodity brokers, paying growers well above commodity market rates and providing transparent origin stories for every varietal. This direct-trade model yields fresher, higher-aroma products and stronger farmer relationships than conventional spice importers.
The public benefit corporation status and chef-founded credibility further reinforce trust with culinary professionals and ethically minded consumers. Its vertically integrated supply chain and focus on rare, single-origin varietals create a brand moat that large commodity spice brands are unlikely to replicate quickly.