With John heading the product side, and Erica managing operations (and writing all those lovely recipe index cards), together they opened their Oakland shop across from Lake Merritt in 2011. It was a huge hit.
Choosing a path – online spice superstore or neighborhood shop
Erica says they just “lucked out” in becoming a featured maker on the massive recipe and curated food shopping site Food 52 in 2012 (because their buyer happened to be an East Bay local), and “it was a game changer.” Online sales became an important channel for them, but they were conflicted when it came to expanding their business. John loved being a shopkeeper and both of them felt strongly that people were “the reason we were interested in the first place.”