Season Liberally.

July 13, 2024 4:01 PM

Anti-MAGA spice company Penzey's is hoping their special deal - just $35 for a $50 Choose Love gift card - and their free Twilight Revolution sample bags and January 6 gift boxes - "keep hope alive and vote (and cook)" - will help spread their message about the importance of stopping the right-wing Republican agenda.

CEO Bill Penzey has been sounding the alarm about the threat of right-wing Republicanism since 2016. After Penzey's put up a billboard urging voters to remember the January 6 riots when voting in November, The Milwaukee Penzey's store was vandalized with Trump graffiti.

With the "nothing burger" Republican Convention happening in Penzey's home state of Wisconsin and costing Milwaukee businesses millions in lost revenue, the company's customer emails have had an even bigger helping of Penzey's criticism of the Republican party:

July 13, 2024

"Today’s delegates know they are coming to Milwaukee to take women’s rights, deny Black history, be cruel to transgender kids, and free the fossil fuel industry from any regulation that would stand in the way of them destroying our planet’s environment.

"Plus, they all know that January 6 was real and it was their party’s leaders who led it and they are just fine with that. These people would end our democracy given the chance. We can’t give them that chance."

July 12, 2024

"The Republicans are coming to Milwaukee to “Crown” Donald Trump. Their platform calls for ending our democracy and destroying the environment. They’ve already turned back the clock fifty years on women’s rights and they have no plans to stop there.

"Too many have gone silent in the face of all this."

July 9, 2024

"The Republicans promised big bookings if Milwaukee took on the costs of their convention and left restaurants available for the week of the convention. Never happened. Instead it’s just a week of empty promises leaving empty restaurants. One restaurant owner called it all a “Nothing Burger.” For a decade now all the Republicans have done is over promise and under deliver. I’m not sure why we still get fooled by this.
...
And if you are coming to Milwaukee next week to be a part of protesting or just to take it all in, please find a restaurant downtown, or anywhere in the greater Milwaukee area, and have a meal. If you could tip like you had 2-3 meals it would help a lot. It’s the staff that is paying the true costs of this convention. Everything with Republicans these days is just so unfair. Thanks for caring about what’s fair."

Every page of the Penzey's website has a link in the footer to Bill's About Republicans message.

Going forward we would still be glad to have you as customers, but we’re done pretending the Republican Party’s embrace of cruelty, racism, Covid lies, climate change denial, and threats to democracy are anything other than the risks they legitimately are. If you need us to pretend you are not creating the hurt you are creating in order for you to continue to be our customer, I’m sad to say you might be happier elsewhere.
...
We can and will work without Republicans to solve the problems we face, but it sure would be nice to get back to a time where Republicans were equal defenders of equality, the environment, and democracy. We look forward to that day.

Penzey's politics press:

• 'Welcome Future Fake Electors' sign hanging posted in Penzeys Spices downtown location, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 13, 2024

Penzeys Spices CEO Bill Penzey is not shy about his politics and how he feels about the Republican Party. The company offers a "January 6 Box" of spices with one mixture called "Justice" and another called "Outrage."

• Penzeys spice retailer mixes business, politics again with 'January 6' gift box, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Benjamin Wells, Nov 4, 2022

The label [on the "Justice" spice blend] reads, "Justice is the light that has guided America through every storm. Now one party wants to obstruct it, twist it, steal it away from We the People to gift it to their donors." It also carries the not-so-subtle message: "Season Liberally."

• Mixing politics and parsley: Why this spice seller spent $700,000-plus on Facebook ads for Trump’s impeachment, Los Angeles Times, Seema Mehta, Dec. 7, 2019

Penzey’s outspokenness has cost his company some longtime customers, but he says he has no choice: “The luxury of not being on a side is something of the past.” ... “This isn’t a line that we chose to cross. The line crossed us,” the soft-spoken 56-year-old said in the kitchen of his home. “Cooks take the time to care for other people.”

• A spice retailer is spending more on pro-impeachment Facebook ads than anyone else, Vox, Terry Nguyen, Oct. 9, 2019

“The open embrace of racism by the Republican Party in this election is now unleashing a wave of ugliness unseen in this country for decades,” he wrote in a November 2016 newsletter that’s since gone viral and received heavy criticism within conservative circles. ... “What we learned is that, in terms of retail spending, Donald Trump simply has no one supporting his views for America,” Penzey wrote.

• The C.E.O. Who Called Trump a Racist (and Sold a Lot of Spice Mix), The New Yorker, Helen Rosner, Feb. 1, 2018

In the past year, Penzey has used his business as a platform to deliver missives about America’s culture of mass shootings, used Pi Day as an opportunity to talk about truth in science, and hailed the Democratic victory in the special Senate election in Alabama. He introduced Tsardust Memories, a “ripped-from-the-headlines” Russian spice blend (including cinnamon, nutmeg, and marjoram), and put together a spice rainbow (red cayenne, orange curry powder, etc.) to celebrate the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality. On July 6, 2017, two years after Trump kicked off his Presidential campaign by calling Mexican immigrants to the United States “a tremendous infectious disease,” Penzey announced that the company would be doing a no-strings-attached giveaway of Mexican vanilla extract, writing, “Today, on this anniversary, it seems a good day to apologize to the people of Mexico and Latin America.” That post, and a follow-up a week later reporting on the success of the special, generated such a flood of business that the company suspended its regularly planned promotions to focus on replenishing inventory.
...
When I wrote asking for an interview last month, he responded with one of the great rejection letters of my career, a long e-mail in which he assailed the food media, critiqued my past reporting, and suggested that I skip this story altogether and instead focus on the food industry’s sexual-harassment problem. “If you ever have a spare year, spend a lot of time with old food magazines through the decades,” he wrote. “Before advertising and marketing took control there really were some amazing publications.”

• A spice company CEO took a stand against bigotry. It turned out to be good for business. , Upworthy.com, Eric March, Dec. 2 2016

He concluded the post with an appeal to his fellow business leaders: "In this moment there is finally the real chance to unite our nation in our shared rejection of sexism, homophobia, and racism. This is your chance to stand up for America's values and make January a tent pole in your company's history. Opportunities to do the right thing at the time when doing the right thing makes all the difference come once in a lifetime. Make your history proud."

• Penzeys Spices' owner thanks customers for support after his criticism of Donald Trump voters , The Capital Times, Katelyn Ferral, Nov 22, 2016

"The open embrace of racism by the Republican Party in this election is now unleashing a wave of ugliness unseen in this country for decades. The American people are taking notice. Let's commit to giving the people a better choice. Our kindness really is our strength," Penzey wrote.

Penzey's is a perennial favorite on MetaFilter and Ask Metafilter.

(Special deal on Penzey's gift cards good through July 14, 2024.)

posted by kristi (46 comments total)

Mods: I really, really hesitated before posting a link to a company's special offer. However, given the popularity of Penzey's among MeFites, I genuinely thought the offer itself would be of interest to the community. I'm hopeful the rest of the post also makes it front-page worthy. If this post is inappropriate, of course I will understand if you delete it - and also, you have my explicit permission to edit it to make it meet site guidelines if necessary. (And I'd also be happy to rework it if necessary.)

I have no connection to Penzey's other than buying spices from them a few times a year.
posted by kristi at 4:03 PM on July 13 [10 favorites]

Bill Penzey is a rare businessman to put his principles before his fortune.

Well, I mean, the "My Pillow" guy did, too, but he picked a fascist clown.

Anyway, I am mildly curious how the rank & file employees feel about this....but I suppose you wouldn't work there for very long if you didn't agree?
posted by wenestvedt at 4:35 PM on July 13 [6 favorites]

wenestvedt, I don't think you'd apply for the job, if you didn't agree? Have a look at Come Work for Penzeys Spices!: "We are currently looking for people who believe that cooking is kindness, and that kindness can change the world. We have a wide range of positions available to those who share this belief." [...] "Work in our stores is all about helping others feel good. It's about conversations with our customers and co-workers that have to do with what people are cooking (and who they're cooking for). It's fine if you're comfortable in the kitchen, but you really don't have to be an expert in cooking or spices - in fact it's maybe better if you're more of an expert in kindness. Humanity? Required. Retail experience? Not so much."
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:37 PM on July 13 [11 favorites]

"Welcome Future Fake Electors" window sign, with a valentine in the "o" in Welcome and a smiley face (without the circle) centered below Electors; it's swell, a Penzeys mug contender.

(I'm a longtime Penzeys customer who wandered away from the email list a while back. Thanks for this post, kristi.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:49 PM on July 13 [5 favorites]

I'm a former Penzeys customer.

I prefer my commercial transactions without politics.
posted by MarcWolfe at 6:01 PM on July 13 [2 favorites]

Better check the political activity of every company you buy from, then, because just about all of them give to Super PACs and lobby politicians, either directly or indirectly via trade associations and industry groups.

I'd much rather all companies were as upfront about their political activities as Penzey's is.
posted by jedicus at 6:08 PM on July 13 [60 favorites]

jedicus is right, of course - most large companies donate to PACS (and often individual candidates) and pay lobbyists.

For anyone who prefers not to buy things from companies that are involved in politics, one place to start is this: ProPublica tracks companies who pledged to stop donating to election deniers: "What Fortune 500 Companies Said After Jan. 6 vs. What They Did."
posted by kristi at 6:17 PM on July 13 [13 favorites]

Sorry to double-comment, but here's the companion ProPublica piece, with the database where you can look up individual companies: $26,287,767: Fortune 500 Companies Have Given Millions to Election Deniers Since Jan. 6.
posted by kristi at 6:20 PM on July 13 [12 favorites]

Not much is said about the smaller companies who are GOP donors. We know of the Kochs and a few others who make headlines, but there must be plenty of smaller businesses whose owners dump cash into conservative campaigns.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:27 PM on July 13 [2 favorites]

I just ordered the big gift certificate and a box of spices for my niece.

I think the time for keeping business and politics separate ended when authoritarians started masquerading as entrepreneurs.
posted by yellowcandy at 6:31 PM on July 13 [17 favorites]

Thanks for this. It's a welcome respite from the current state of the world. I ordered three gift cards as presents.
posted by bluesky43 at 6:43 PM on July 13 [3 favorites]

+1 for the most excellent title!
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:45 PM on July 13 [3 favorites]

Excellent tags, too!🧂🇺🇸
posted by wenestvedt at 8:29 PM on July 13

I wish I liked the art style on their merch more. I would love to but more from them.
posted by meese at 9:04 PM on July 13 [4 favorites]

Oh right it is time for a Penzey‘s order! Thanks for the reminder - their Greek seasoning is in heavy rotation in my household and their chili powders are superb. I became a Penzeys customer for their politics and I’d do it again, in a heartbeat.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:34 PM on July 13 [2 favorites]

Oh, I got a sample of the Greek seasoning my last order, and it was awesome. I'm totally ordering a bottle of it next time I order.
posted by mollweide at 9:59 PM on July 13

There happens to be an outlet where I live. They have free promotions often enough that I stay on the mailing list. Excellent spices if a bit pricey.
posted by sammyo at 10:18 PM on July 13 [1 favorite]

I get all my spices from the local bodega. They never push their politics on me. Cute bodega cat too.
posted by Czjewel at 4:38 AM on July 14

Czjewel, the spices you get at that bodega are very likely too old to do much good. They're cheaper, yeah, but with spices you kind of get what you pay for.

Spices from a bodega are kind of a rookie move, just like dropping a snarky "look at how edgy I am about politics" comment into this thread.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:02 AM on July 14 [9 favorites]

kristi - you are my very favorite MeFite. When I see a warm, positive, meaningful comment, I often see your name at the end of it.
So, when I saw this rich, meaningful post, I was not surprised to see it was from you. I want you to know that I consider you a role model of healthy, wholesome interaction on the internet and I really, really, really appreciate you.

More on topic - Penzey’s sells a delicious roasted garlic that I love for many dishes, but especially garlic bread. 😊
posted by hilaryjade at 5:48 AM on July 14 [13 favorites]

EmpressCallipygos...Fast turnover at my local bodega thanks to large Latino population. I may have had to return one package of laurel leaves once because they looked and smelled off, so it's a non issue with me.
posted by Czjewel at 5:53 AM on July 14

I sent my conservative BIL & his wife gift cards from Penzey's for Christmas a few years ago, because they both like to cook and a Penzy's ad came across FB (I think) at just the time I was looking for gift ideas. It didn't occur to me until just this moment to wonder if they were aware of the company's politics and took the gift cards as some kind of insult. I wonder if they ever used them? 🤔
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 6:56 AM on July 14 [2 favorites]

What are people's favorite spices at Penzey's?

I see Greek seasoning and roasted garlic mentioned above. Anything else I might want to try?
posted by sciencegeek at 7:09 AM on July 14

What are people's favorite spices at Penzey's?

I absolutely burn through bags of the creamy peppercorn blend - I never use it to actually make their creamy dressing recipe but make a very lazy dressing directly on salads (olive oil, lemon juice, this blend). I like the Fox Point seasoning on eggs. I also frequently use the various herb blends on salads and sandwiches.

I've had great results with their whole chiles and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's vegetarian chili recipe. I also keep various whole spices for curries in stock (cardamom, cumin seeds, cloves, etc.)

Ceylon cinnamon is absolutely lovely, and a different cinnamon experience than you might be used to depending on where you are from (in North America, cassia cinnamon is much more common - they are from two different trees in the genus Cinnamomum and have different flavor profiles, although both generally cinnamony.)

Penzey's has quite a lot of my money.
posted by erolls at 7:32 AM on July 14 [1 favorite]

Fast turnover at my local bodega thanks to large Latino population

I realize we’re talking about spices that should be shelf-stable, but the supply chain matters, too, so your products aren’t spending too many weeks baking in overheated trucks and warehouses. I too live among a large Latino population, and the local Kroger affiliates and their ilk are often full of expired or nearly expired and damaged products. Sadly, the best place to find fresher locally grown produce here is often Walmart. Who for instance often have locally grown plantains and bananas, when other chains only have practically frozen ones shipped from Equador or Brazil, even though they should be trivial to source locally.
posted by mubba at 7:36 AM on July 14

What are people's favorite spices at Penzey's?

Sunny Paris. Slight caveat, I buy it from The Spice House, which is a similar store (that I believe was founded by a branch of the Penzey family. The Spice House stopped calling it Sunny Paris when they changed owners a few years ago.) Anyway, it's delicious. Sprinkle it on a plain chicken breast cutlet and brown it in butter or olive oil, and it comes out tasting super fancy. Or I mix it in scrambled eggs. Or on potatoes. Or fish. It's just a great all around flavor.
posted by dnash at 7:39 AM on July 14 [3 favorites]

All y'all worrying about a "political" company really need to do just a little digging on everything you buy because I guarandamntee it that your favorite bodega/spice business/grocery store is absolutely 100% giving their money, at least SOME of it, to some sort of political entity. And on the off chance they don't donate, they're putting their money in their vote.

You're not bothered by Penzey's political stance, you're bothered by them saying out loud what it is. But make no mistake, even the ones who are quiet about their political stance are saying what they believe LOUDLY AND CLEARLY by whom they give their money and/or their vote to.
posted by cooker girl at 8:33 AM on July 14 [12 favorites]

Their pico fruta is gorgeous on mangoes, pineapple, and jicama.

Minced garlic can be used for cooking but I think it really shines where you can taste the crunch, like on melted cheese toast.

Mural of Flavor is a great salt free blend and a staple at our house.

One of my favorite things is to get a bunch of their trial packets at random and then build a meal around one when I’m bored with cooking. I’ve yet to be disappointed.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:44 AM on July 14 [5 favorites]

They have really very good whole black peppercorns. I like their ground chipotles and Aleppo-pepper flake. I don't use a lot of their blends, but I like the Galena Street rub.
posted by jackbishop at 9:27 AM on July 14 [1 favorite]

cooker girl...So this is what you believe to be true I'm thinking. Any documentation to back it up?
posted by Czjewel at 9:44 AM on July 14

Big fan of Sunny Paris as well, but also Justice.
posted by oflinkey at 10:13 AM on July 14 [2 favorites]

Their Frozen Pizza topping is more delicious than it has any right to be! A friend gave me a gift box with their different cinnamons, and it was fascinating how different they all tasted from each other. Now I'm looking forward to trying their roasted garlic, too!
posted by csox at 10:37 AM on July 14 [3 favorites]

Their various kinds of paprika actually have flavor, and aren't just red dust you sprinkle on deviled eggs as a garnish. Made a fantastic chicken paprikash with their sweet Hungarian style.
posted by indexy at 10:47 AM on July 14 [5 favorites]

What are people's favorite spices at Penzey's?

The Cake Spice/Pie Spice/Baking Spice blends (I use one of these at random when baking cookies, apple pie, cobbler or banana bread); their Bicentennial Rub (when roasting a chicken or ribs, in the oven) which I must note has been given a colorful label and renamed Penzey's Revolution but it's the same mix as the Bicentennial; and the Sunny Paris and Fox Point blends, for breakfast eggs.
posted by Rash at 11:18 AM on July 14 [2 favorites]

I wasn't actually speaking of spice quality in your average Bodega, to be honest, as much as I was trying to make a comment about dropping a "your favorite band sucks" style note simply because a corporation chose to be vocal about its political opinions.

I mean, corporations are supposedly equivalent to people, and sometimes this means they have opinions. And it's a bit of an egotistical take to think that a company simply stating an opinion means they are "shoving it in your face".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:20 AM on July 14 [2 favorites]

Their pico fruta is gorgeous on mangoes, pineapple, and jicama

Ah, their version of Tajín!
posted by Rash at 11:27 AM on July 14 [1 favorite]

Well, Czjewel, I'll do your Googling for you.

Here's one.

Here's another one.

And another.

How about this one?

How do small business owners vote?
posted by cooker girl at 12:44 PM on July 14 [6 favorites]

What are people's favorite spices at Penzey's?

So these days I actually get most of my spices through Oaktown Spice Shop because they're local to me, high-quality, easily available in stores near me, and by all accounts good people, but I am always happy to place my once- or twice-yearly order for things you can only get at Penzeys or Penzeys has a better price for:

- My favorite everyday salt: Ever since Diamond stopped selling their consumer-sized package of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, Penzeys is the only place I'm aware of that sells it in quantities smaller than a 3-lb box (it's what their Kosher Style Flake Salt product is).

- Penzeys Revolution (formerly known as Bicentennial Rub): The very best rub for grilled or roasted chicken.

- Rojo Taco seasoning: I like all their taco seasoning blends, but this one, which is a liquidy paste in a jar, is most excellent. I always use about 1/2-3/4 the amount called for because it's a pretty concentrated flavor.

- Wauwatosa Village seasoning: A savory blend I really like on popcorn, and sometimes on the rim of my bloody marys

- Vanilla extract: Their vanilla extract is great, and it's often been lower-cost than other reliable suppliers, even during the periods where vanilla was stupidexpensive everywhere. This is sometimes, though less frequently, the case with their whole vanilla beans as well.
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:58 PM on July 14 [4 favorites]

This post is about uspolitics but doesn't have the uspolitics tag, so the filter doesn't work.

I flagged it but that never seems to work
posted by onya at 1:49 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

onya, I apologize. I've added the USPolitics tag. That won't help you and the fact that it showed up on the front page for you, but it will help future folks. Thanks for saying something.
posted by kristi at 2:02 PM on July 14 [2 favorites]

I buy Sunny Spain, Penzey's salt-free lemon pepper, by the pound.

Another favorite is Chicago Steak Seasoning. I use it in meatloaf a lot, gives the meat a little extra oomph.
posted by Preserver at 2:06 PM on July 14 [2 favorites]

Hard agree on their Frozen Pizza blend! We discovered Penzey’s through that very stuff at the home of a couple we cat-sit for, whose values are very much in alignment with the company’s, and with our own. It’s since become a favorite in our household, and on our gift-shopping lists.

We just ordered their Herbs de Provence and their Taco Seasoning recently, and both are likewise heavenly. (Haven’t yet tried the curries we ordered, but the smells inspire confidence. Maybe tonight...)

Thanks for another great post when we sorely needed it, kristi!
posted by armeowda at 2:38 PM on July 14 [3 favorites]

I was a Penzey’s fan even before Bill became so outspoken. Now these are no lie the only marketing emails that I actually read. I love the trial bags that let you sample stuff without a big commitment. As other have said, Mural of Flavor is great on lots of stuff. I have recently been very into using Outrage of Love on eggs, and this morning I sprinkled a little Justice on my hashbrowns.

Penzey’s is a tiny tasty ray of hope in America’s otherwise bleak corporate hellscape.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 2:44 PM on July 14 [4 favorites]

"this morning I sprinkled a little Justice on my hashbrowns."

I love this.
posted by kristi at 2:54 PM on July 14 [5 favorites]

Favorites: their double strength vanilla extract, which is fantastic in French toast batter, and the Green Goddess dressing mix for salad, tuna salad, salmon salad, veggie dip; Penzeys recs GG "as a light, refreshing alternative to tartar sauce on baked or fried fish." The sample packets in every box are persuasive.

Penzeys' is my go-to housewarming gift, bundled with a fire extinguisher ('cause I'm that friend).
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:57 PM on July 14 [6 favorites]

Oh yeah, I forgot Mural of Flavor in my comment above! It is also a staple for me.

When I was a kid, both my grandparents and my stepfather were on salt-restricted diets and always had Mrs. Dash around. And I kind of loved it, especially to zhuzh up canned soups and frozen dinners. I lost my taste for it when I got older, but then I got a sample of Mural of Flavor with one of my regular orders, and I was shocked to find it tasted like a fresher, more grown-up version of Mrs. Dash! So also highly recommended.
posted by rhiannonstone at 5:43 PM on July 14 [3 favorites]