“We started celebrating at the very beginning of the year,” said Chris L. Kiser, CEO of Spice World. “We’ve been reflecting celebrated moments of our journey through the sharing of vintage photos, stories and reflections from employees. Our marketing team has executed a series of campaigns tied to the 75th. The biggest being the Recipe Roadshow where we traveled across the U.S. and took a close look at favorite regional dishes. Consumers had the opportunity to vote on their favorites, which we will publish in a new e-cookbook. It’s been a lot of fun linking our past, present and future.”“Delivering on their expectations for quality and customer service is paramount,” Kiser said. “Listening to their needs and working collaboratively on ideas that fuel profitable growth for both of us.”
As a market leader, garlic is very important to Spice World’s business.
“After seven decades, we have come to know garlic like the back of our hand,” Kiser said. “We propagate our own seed, do our own planting and harvesting in fresh, and we manage the end-to-end value chain for all value-added offerings. We also manage our own global sourcing for all segments of our business. We sell over 150 million pounds each year.”
He added that the company’s unwavering commitment to quality and consistency is what has kept Spice World thriving all these years.
“Customers have high expectations for both, and they are considered non-negotiable entry points,” Kiser said. “On top of that, you have to drive innovation and stay ahead of what consumers want. Strong partnerships and mutually beneficial growth for our customers is central to our mission.”
The current garlic crop in the U.S. looks to be average in size with good overall quality and expected yields near 5-year trends, so Kiser expects the season will be generally comparable to last year.
“We see the peeled garlic segment continuing to grow at double digit rates, outpacing the category performance,” he said. “We believe fresh will remain positive in the 4-6 percent range and the value-added segments growing in the mid- to high-single digits.”
Additionally, Spice World expects to see value-added ginger and onions continue to grow in importance, especially with younger consumers who desire convenience and flavor.
Leadership at Spice World looks forward to the next 75 years of serving customers the best way it knows how.
