Burlap & Barrel

Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation building new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent and traceable.

SUPPORTING SMALLHOLDER FARMERS
We’re working towards ending inequality and exploitation in food systems that disenfranchise skilled farmers.

We do this by:

• Connecting smallholder farmers to high-value markets
• Educating consumers about the impact of product traceability on human rights
• Sourcing unique spices and other foods with terroir that are grown organically and sustainably using traditional techniques

REDEFINING SUSTAINABILITY
Mainstream conversations around food sustainability rarely consider the people involved in growing, harvesting, transporting, processing and cooking food. Sustainability is discussed in terms of environmental impact, or the comfort of livestock providing meat, dairy or eggs.

We believe that the standard measures of sustainability must evolve to consider the conditions in which the farmers who drive global food supply chains earn their livelihoods. Single origin ingredients draw attention to the unique environments in which incredible ingredients grow and to the farmers with the expertise and commitment to grow them well.

THE CHALLENGE IN OUR PATH
Our task is not a straightforward or easy one, but worthwhile things never are. There are several significant challenges to our direct sourcing model:

• Established industrial food supply chains are slow, opaque and outdated, spanning enormous geographic, cultural and economic distances.
• Economies of scale value quantity over quality, consolidating products grown by individual producers from different countries and making it impossible to trace foods back to their origin. The lack of traceability increases the risk of contamination and adulteration and reduces special products to bland mediocrity.
• Consumers in the United States don’t effectively utilize their buying power to fight against abuse of workers and demand equitable food sourcing practices and full traceability.

BUILDING A NEW GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN
Burlap & Barrel sources our spices directly from farmer cooperatives and small farms, bypassing brokers and middlemen who drive prices up and quality down.

We visit farms and spend time with farmers, learning firsthand about the economic, social and cultural factors behind their farming methods, and we 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.

THOUGHTFUL SOURCING + SHORTER SUPPLY CHAINS = EXCEPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
Our customers care about cooking with exceptional ingredients. They appreciate the distinctive flavors imparted by the specific environments where our spices are grown, and they understand the importance of supporting small family farms locally and around the world.

A deeper understanding of the provenance of coffee, chocolate, wine, and fresh fruits and vegetables has helped all of us make better decisions about how we eat, and how we use our buying power to advocate for better food for ourselves and our communities.

Burlap & Barrel extends that value system to spices for the first time.