Burlap & Barrel sources spices directly from farmer cooperatives and small farms, bypassing brokers and middlemen who drive prices up and quality down.

They visit farms and spend time with farmers, learning firsthand about the economic, social and cultural factors behind their farming methods, and support them to improve the quality, quantity, and value of their products.

The farmers that work with Burlap & Barrel benefit from:

• Purchase commitments to give farmers greater financial security
• Shared knowledge from across our global farmer network
• Support in expanding on-site value-added activities such as sorting, grinding, and packaging to increase farmer revenue

The commodity spice industry focuses on a limited set of spices, and grades those spices using outdated measurements largely unrelated to flavor and quality. We work with our partner farmers to identify unique varietals that are often overlooked by the industry – as well as valuable byproducts – to maximize their earnings.

Then we send trucks to the farms to create the shortest supply chain possible.