Spices begin to release their flavors as soon as you grind them, so freshly ground spices have more flavor. If you have a grinder and like to keep larger quantities of spice on hand it is ideal to grind them as you use them. If you go through your spices quickly—have us do the work! Just be sure to store them in airtight containers to keep those flavors fresh.

The best way to keep your spices at peak freshness is to store them in an airtight glass jar with a rubber seal in a cool, dark place. Although shaker tops are convenient, we find they  prevent a good seal on closed spice containers; we do not recommend storing spices in jars with shaker tops.

No. You will see a difference in price between whole and ground when purchasing by volume, but this is due to changes in density due to grinding. The price per pound always remains the same.

We never use filler of any kind, and use salt mainly in our rubs and occasionally in other blends as needed. We never add salt to a blend just to bulk it up. We have a large selection of salt-free blends.

Our spices are sourced all over the world. Some, like our saffron, are sourced directly from the producers, while others are bought strategically from foreign and domestic brokers, with maximum flavor and freshness as our guiding principle.

We make all our spice blends in-house. At World Spice, our talented staff has been collecting and creating blend recipes for two decades! We cook all the time and are constantly tinkering with new spice combinations - we add one or two to the permanent archive each year. Please let us know if there is something you’d like to see added!

Yes. With a minimum purchase of one pound we will gladly make your personal blend for your business, using our pure herbs and spices. In order to best serve you all custom blending requires a consultation. Please reach out to jamie@worldspice.com for more information.

It varies. Stored correctly, some herbs and spices will maintain peak freshness up to a year, but others lose flavor more quickly. Ground spices have the shortest shelf life. Ground cumin and cardamom lose their flavor very quickly, while peppercorns and hard seeds like nutmeg may last up to a year. Herbs like thyme and rosemary should be used within six months for peak flavor. When in doubt, we recommend using your nose. If your spices don’t smell like anything, they are not likely to taste like anything, and it is time to replace your supply.

None of our spices, herbs, or blends contain gluten. However, some of our spices, herbs, and ingredients may pass through facilities that also process grains containing gluten.

Our Hazelnut Dukkah is the only blend we offer that contains tree nuts. However, many of our spices and ingredients pass through facilities that also process tree nuts. Please contact us directly if you have any questions or concerns about allergens in our facility.

While many herbs and spices can be used medicinally, being a culinary store, our expertise lies in how herbs and spices can be used to enhance the flavor of food.

No. Rather than encourage larger purchases, we keep our per item minimums low and our per ounce prices the same for large or small orders to encourage our customers to buy only what they need, ensuring freshness. We do have a professional division that caters to culinary professionals buying in larger quantities. To apply for an account with our professional division, please fill out this Commercial Client Application and we will get you set up.

We stand behind our products 100%, satisfaction guaranteed. If you are not completely happy with your purchase, contact us and we will arrange for a refund. An exchange is possible only if items are unopened and have not been visibly tampered with.

We process and ship orders as quickly as we can. Most orders ship in two business days. Our warehouse has a small team where all items are hand filled. Orders  may take a little longer around the holidays and on high volume sale days.

We send an order confirmation email when your order comes in, and a second email when your order is shipped. The second email will have your package’s tracking information in it. If you haven’t received either email, check your bulk mail or spam folder first. If you have not received your confirmation emails, let us know and we can resend them.

If the package has left our warehouse, but something has gone wrong along the way, please contact the carrier directly. They’ll have the most up to date information for you. Once an order leaves our facility, delays in transit are quite literally "out of our hands" and become the responsibility of the carrier. If you have a problem that you’re unable to resolve with the carrier, let us know and we’ll do what we can to help. Please note that we cannot assume responsibility for orders which are lost or stolen after delivery.

With the exception of APO/FPO, US Territories, and Canada, we do not ship to international addresses.

Yes! We are proud to help military members keep things spicy no matter where they are in the world.

Please contact our mail order department at hello@worldspice.com and we’ll correct the problem right away.

Freshly made by hand, in small batches and ground in house, the alchemy of our original World Spice blends is unmatched. Plus our artisan quality standards mean our blends are never adulterated with excess salt or fillers.

Already have the perfect spice blend? With a time-tested touch, our blend masters can craft them precisely to your specifications, and keep the recipe on file to make ordering simple. The confidentiality of your recipes is always guaranteed.