Red Stick Spice Company & A Giveaway!

Up until a few years ago, I really had no idea what a difference good, quality spices make in cooking/baking. I’ll be honest…back in the hot dog/blue box macaroni cooking days, I thought that spices never expired! I also thought that you could get away with purchasing the cheapest spices in the store, and you’d still get the same result. However, I learned that spices usually have a shelf life of a couple of years, and it’s always smart to purchase good quality spices.

I remember going to a specialty spice store for the first time when I went to Houston with my husband, and we really stocked up, since we knew that Baton Rouge had nothing like this. It was a bummer, since Louisiana is such a food-centric state…why wouldn’t we have more stores like this? However, a couple of years ago, I first heard of this business called Red Stick Spice Company (in case you didn’t know Baton Rouge is French for Red Stick). I looked up their website, and decided that the first free weekend I had, I had to visit this business and see what they were all about!

Let’s just say I was hooked. I’m pretty sure I purchased 1/2 cup of cinnamon for my holiday baking when I went for my first visit, as well as some other hard-to-find spices that I wanted to use for some recipes. I didn’t shop there very often, because let’s face it, how often do you need to replenish spices? However, they were my go-to when I had a big spice related purchase to make! At some point, the owners decided to sell this business, and I’ll be honest…I was worried about what would happen to this spice store that I’ve just fallen in love with. Well y’all…GREAT things have happened since the new owner, Anne Milneck, took over!

I went to the store for the first time since the new owner took over a few weeks ago, and it was awesome! I’m a sucker for great logos/branding, as well as a store with lovely displays, and this store definitely has all of that!

One of the great things about this store is that (if you’re local), you can purchase as little or as much as you need of spices or salts. I purchased 2 tsp. of turmeric for a recipe that I want to make, which is awesome, because that isn’t a spice that I work with often.

I love that, because not only are you saving money by not purchasing large bottles of spices, but you’re also able to get fresh, good quality spices as you need them. If you’re shopping online, you can purchase spices by the ounce or specialty sea salts by the ounce.

They also offer a great variety of spice blends both in store and online. I’m personally a big fan of their Coffee BBQ Rub. I also think it’s great that they have a great selection of salt-free spice blends in their store, especially since we’re trying to eat healthier in our house.

Some great things that they offer include flavored olive oils/vinegars, as well as loose teas and locally made kitchen gifts.

Seriously…how cool is this mincer plate? Anyone looking for a gift to get me (haha)? I’ll gladly take that Fleur de Lis plate…isn’t it gorgeous?!

They also carry a great variety of extracts, especially if you’re looking for something more obscure for your holiday baking!

I’m sure some of you are wondering why I’m writing about this store, but I thought I’d share with you guys a local business that I truly love shopping at. You don’t have to be local to Baton Rouge to shop here either…they have a great online store (which I’ve linked to throughout the post!).

For the holiday season, they have quite a selection for gift giving and holiday cooking/baking. If you know someone who loves to cook or bake (and like me, they probably have every kitchen tool you could imagine), a gift like this would be awesome and so thoughtful. (I actually got a Red Stick Spice Company gift basket from someone in my husband’s family last year, and I love it! I’m still using spices from it.) 🙂 You can easily customize a gift to include whatever you’d like in the store, and they’ll take care of all of the packaging/wrapping. No fuss shopping, right?

They also have an amazing selection of loose holiday teas for the upcoming season. You have the option to purchase 3 oz. for $10 (in a bag) or 2 oz. in a cute gift tin for $10. They have so many flavors, like Christmas, Candy Cane, Pumpkin Spice & Cranberry, to name a few.

In fact, when I reached out to Red Stick Spice Company about writing this feature, I asked if they would like to offer a giveaway to you guys and they said YES! For the giveaway, they’re generously offering one lucky reader of The Nifty Foodie this prize:

• this gorgeous Acorn Teapot (in the winner’s choice of color)
• a tin of their loose Christmas tea

To enter this giveaway, check out the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: This giveaway, provided by Red Stick Spice Company, is open to readers in the continental US only. Entries will be accepted until November 30th at 12:00am (central standard time). Winner will be emailed (make sure you leave an email address in the form), and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this post for no compensation or free product…I just wanted to share this shop with you guys because it’s a place I enjoy shopping at! Red Stick Spice Company is supplying the acorn teapot and Christmas tea for the giveaway. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.