Bulking Up

Customers are seeking out the bulk bins more often when they shop for spices in the supermarket, according to industry experts.

"Bulk is really coming back," says Clint Landis, chief marketing officer at Frontier Natural Products Co-Op, a Norway, Iowa-based spice firm that started out in the bulk business, but now also produces the Simply Organic and Frontier packaged brands. "It's like a new wave. We're experiencing double-digit [bulk] growth, which we haven't seen in a long, long, time."

Frontier is promoting its bulk spices with the tag line: "Buy a pinch or a pound." "The nice thing about bulk is the ability to do that," Landis says. "Natural food stores are where the majority of the bulk business is, but we're starting to see it in grocery stores."

Another good thing about spices is that the possibilities they offer are virtually endless.

"We have approximately 6,000 formulas that are both proprietary as well as confidential," says Bob Blefko, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Old World Spices, a private label and bulk blend manufacturer based in Overland Park, Kan.

Manufacturers say today's consumers are looking for quality. The C.F. Sauer Co., based in Maple Valley, Wash., offers some 130 different items under its Bama, Sauer's, The Spice Hunter and Duke's brands that company officials bill as being a step above some of the mainstream competition.

"What sets us apart is quality," says Lon Kollath, natural and specialty account manager. "Spices in glass jars are generally considered a gourmet spice, but beyond that is where the spices are sourced from. There are different growing areas in the world where you can get the best cinnamon, for example."

To further liven up the category, new spices are always coming on the scene. Baltimore-based Vanns Spices has just introduced Dill pollen, packaged in small round tins.

"Dill pollen is new to the market and new to us," says sales manager Nick Ciotti. "It has really bright dill notes to it, almost like fresh dill, but more complex, almost reminiscent of honey and hay. It goes really nice on fish, maybe basting it on at the end of the cooking process. It's also great as a garnish for potato salad, chicken salad, or even something simple like tomatoes and mozzarella."

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