by Nicole S. Gwyn
posted November 26, 2003
) Photo by Nicole S. Gwyn Alchemy owners Jessica Capets and Chris Chevalier pose in their production warehouse. Click to enlarge all our photos. |
“Some spices in the store have been in storage seven years,” said Chris Chevalier, co-owner of Alchemy Spice Company in Chattanooga.
“Traditionally, the spices you use in the store, you should only use them six months.”
Mr. Chevalier said Alchemy Spice Company is the only spice company in Chattanooga that specializes in all-natural, fresh-ground artisan spice blends. Their spices contain no flavor-enhancing chemicals like MSG, and no preservatives, like silicon dioxide to prevent caking.
His partner, Jessica Capets, said the Department of Agriculture only requires weight listings on spice labels, not freshness and expiration dates. “You don’t have to put ingredients, but we do,” she said.
Alchemy receives whole spices through an importer in Boston. Once shipped, the spices are formulated for highest degree of freshness. Their most popular blends are “The Jerk” (a Jamaican Jerk blend) and “Neutral Ground Cajun Spice.”
“People thought we were crazy when we first started looking for a spice grinder,” he said. “We talked to a lot of people in the spice industry who said, ‘Why don’t you just buy them ground’?”
Alchemy received its license in September. They made their first sale in October at a craft show and began selling wholesale-to-resale in early November. Their spices are available at Greenlife, Chattanooga Pepper Company, Coffee Crafters, The Monkey Tree, and Wildflower Antiques. They have also begun selling on Sundays at the Chattanooga Market in the Cricket Pavilion.
Alchemy ensures freshness by using what they call a “micro-batch grinding methodology.” They produce only 50 bottles at a time. Spices are ground and bottled in minutes. Every batch is made to order and is less than two weeks old when sold, they said.
“We don’t make more than what fits in this bowl,” she said, touching a large aluminum mixing bowl, similar to ones found at most chain department stores. “It’s warm when we bottle it.”
Alchemy strives to make hard-to-find blends, like Indian Masala, accessible to even novice cooks. They provide recipes to show the best way to use their spices without using high-end cuts of meat.
“It provides people the option … to be the person who just throws something on the grill,” she said.
Alchemy Spice Company is located on the Southside. It shares a space with Niedlov’s Breadworks, which, Mr. Chevalier said, uses Alchemy’s products in some of their stone-ground, organic breads.
“Our spices are authentic, but we’re trying to bring them to people who wouldn’t be able to get it,” he said. “We hope that our flavors are complex enough so that those in culinary can appreciate it.”
) Photo by Nicole S. Gwyn Fresh spices |
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