Spiceology’s winning flavor strategy | Food Business News

SPOKANE, WASH. — A core value of Spiceology, a spice blend manufacturer, is cooking and eating should be joyous experiences.

The company was founded in 2013 by Pete Taylor, an executive chef, and Heather Scholten, a food blogger, with the intention to liven up the spice category. Since its establishment, the company has introduced more than 300 spices and spice blends for both foodservice and retail.

The company prides itself on its commitment to creating fresh versatile blends. Each blend is formulated with whole spice that’s domestically sourced.

Spiceology manufactures its blends in small batches, leading to fresher products, McLean said.

However, with premium ingredients comes premium prices.

“We don’t use extracts or artificial flavoring; we don’t do any funky stuff,” McLean said. “Those things are more expensive to include, and yet we feel it’s absolutely worth it.”

The company’s commitment to premium coincides with its commitment to flavor innovation.

“We have an obsession with breaking spices and flavor out of application prison,” McLean said. “Spiceology’s products are, in addition to being innovative, they’re versatile.

“You might get something like Greek Freak and put it on your chicken, and it’ll be delicious and blow your mind, but you might think, ‘Oh, boy, what if I put that on my asparagus?’ or ‘I could rim a glass with this.’ If you really think about the blend, you could put a whole meal around it.”

McLean said the company is data driven, using trends to map out its next class of spices.

Additionally, Spiceology collaborates with its consumers to test an experimental flavor through its Test Kitchen program. The company shares a flavor it is considering launching and, if enough consumers pledge to purchase the spice once it’s launched, it gets added to the company’s portfolio.

“Test Kitchen is really a fantastic way for us to engage with our audiences, find what they’re liking,” McClean said. “It’s a really fun way for us to make sure that flavor enthusiasts and our biggest fans are also the ones deciding what’s coming out in the coming weeks ahead for Spiceology.”

The company’s mission to elevate the spice category comes at an apt time, as younger consumers are interested in elevating comfort meals with experimental flavors.

“Younger consumers don’t just want the tried-and-true flavors, they are curious about what different flavor profiles might mean,” McClean said. “They’re curious about ways they could spice up, for lack of a better term, the food they received at home as children. Spiceology meets them where they are with high-quality ingredients, ideas and a community with whom they can share ideas and recipes.”

Spiceology’s portfolio is distributed to foodservice providers nationally and may be found at select retailers. McLean said consumers can expect to see the company’s products expand into regional grocery stores in 2027.