Blog

Burlap is a natural fiber that’s made from jute. Alternatively, hemp and flax can also be used to make this material. It’s a woven fabric and very durable too. However, its texture is too brittle to be worn as human attire, except in rare cases. It’s itchy and much too harsh for the human skin.

Composting is another environmentally positive way of disposing of your waste. It can be done privately, in your yard. This is a common method among people who have gardens.You can use burlap to transform just about anything. If you have a couple of unused mason jars, you can wrap strips of burlap around them to significantly improve their appeal. Then, place flowers in them and set them anywhere in your home.

We have diverse fabric options to choose from. The synthetic ones don’t exactly leave the best impact on the environment, and most of them won’t biodegrade too.

Nature sure has blessed us with enough resources for comfort and luxury. We’ve further taken these materials and modified them or created other options out of artificial materials. This is why we have both natural and synthetic options.Did you know that burlap pillowcases are a strong decorative piece? Their neutral color wonderfully complements and improves your décor. When making these pillowcases, you have to be cautious about your pillow showing through the spaces in this material, so it’s a good idea to use a color that closely resembles it as a barricade for this.

The amount of carbon dioxide jute absorbs is also considerably more than most other trees. Then, you also have to consider the unavoidable increase in soil fertility after jute has been planted.On the other hand, you can opt for the community composting arrangement. This is usually in the form of compost bins placed in a central area for everyone to dispose of their compostable waste uniformly.

Afterward, they’ll be taken to a mill to get processed, and this is where a series of twisting and spinning will begin. Then, the jute strips will be shaped and woven into useable materials.

One of the reasons for the popularity of burlap is the use-cases. You can employ all the excellent and environmentally friendly qualities both as main choices and sustainable options for a range of things, including:

Burlap is an alternative to plastic. It’s sturdy enough to serve as its replacement on many fronts – for packaging, outdoor use, crafts, and art. There are many use-cases for this material, which means its demand will increase significantly in the coming years. If you’ve ever laid your hands on burlap, then you’d know how sturdy this material is. That’s what makes it so suitable for packaging items with great weight. These bags are used to carry cement, package heavy materials, and do many other outdoor activities. Now, when making this material, the first significant step is soaking jute stems in water. They remain there until they become soft. Then, the strips are taken out and left to dry in the sun.You can even use it to protect your soil and roots during transplants. When burlap spends considerable time in the soil, it’ll biodegrade and provide extra nourishment for the plants. As such, environmentally conscious people commonly if burlap is good or bad for the environment. Well, we can only answer yes! Burlap is a sustainable material. Growing jute also requires no fertilizer. Even when using fertilizer or pesticides, jute requires a lot less than other crops. There are also lower occurrences with pests where this material is concerned.

For green thumbs, burlaps are a godsend! You can use them to promote the welfare of your plants through weed control, keep your plants warm and hydrated, and for growing food.

A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no ‘Planet B’ in this whole universe.This is where burlap bags come in. They can be used for an array of packaging options and also serve as gym bags, tote bags, wine bags, party favors, among many other uses. Now, this type of waste isn’t restricted to leftover or unwanted kitchen items alone. Conventionally, as long as it breaks down pretty fast and contains no chemicals, there’s always a place for it in compost bins. When you think of arts and crafts, burlap is a suitable material. If anything, it’s a hot trend that no crafts lover wants to miss out on. Burlap is an ideal gardening material for green thumbs and gardeners because of its porosity, multiple utility, and low price.On the other hand, synthetic burlap never decomposes. It looks like burlap but is made from plastic designed never to rot – it can last forever! That’s why it’s a terrible idea to condemn a material like this to our landfills.

Well, they are. As we’ve already mentioned, these fantastic plastic substitutes are made from jute, flax, and hemp. These are all-natural materials that follow the natural biodegradation process.You can use burlap to spice up a wedding décor style. This material gives off a rustic and aesthetically pleasing view, and you can incorporate it in several ways.

Waste from the kitchen can be gathered and put in a compost pile. This waste extends to any material that can break down within a reasonable time, as the essence of composting is to feed the materials to the soil and plants.Burlaps get their beige from the jute plant, which is golden. It can grow as tall as 12 feet high, is durable, and grows fast. Four to six months are enough for this plant to fully mature.

When you expose unwanted burlap bags to the proper weather condition, microbes, oxygen, and water, they’ll break down fast. Since they don’t have any chemical additives in them, the decomposition process will positively impact the environment, such as creating more soil and serving as fertilizer for your plants.So, is burlap biodegradable? This may be a disposal option for this material, but you need to keep reading to find out. Let’s consider some of the characteristics of burlaps, their biodegradability, ability to decompose, and overall effects on the environment. Don’t go anywhere!In contrast, you can compost natural burlap, as it’s biodegradable and breaks down within a reasonable time. However, if you expect to use the materials in the compost bin anytime soon, you shouldn’t consider including burlap in your pile.We are immensely blessed with vast natural resources to make life much easier. Fortunately, some of these resources are multipurpose and can be used in different dimensions. Both the commercial and domestic segments enjoy the benefits of burlap. They’re also great for animal control. Instead of spending considerable money on wired fences, you can attach the burlap to stakes and place them vertically around your property. So how long does it take burlap to decompose? Well, it depends. If you’re dealing with natural items, anywhere between two to ten years, and as long as ten years for the more durable option.Finally, you can compost and recycle burlap, which means disposing of this material will never be a burden to the environment. But again, the quality and durability of burlap items mean it’ll be a long time before you have to look into suitable disposal methods.Pollution is on the increase as our reliance on plastic grows. Plastic isn’t biodegradable and wreaks severe havoc on the environment. It’s our go-to material for a host of activities, industrial and otherwise. Studies have even shown that this toxic material makes up more than 80 percent of the waste in our water bodies.

As you already know, it’s made from jute, a crop that matures in six months but offers a bountiful harvest when it’s well grown. It has a fantastic growth efficiency that makes planting and growing it much easier; this is also because it requires less land.Pro-bono advising & consulting organization for early-stage entrepreneurs of color & from other historically excluded backgrounds. Interested? Contact us.

In April, we got a chance to introduce our social enterprise on national TV to the judges of Shark Tank and millions of viewers. The response has been tremendous and allows us to continue to grow the company in ways that work for us and our partner farmers.We partner directly with smallholder farmers to source spices that have never been available in the US before while helping improve the livelihoods of our partner farmers.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California Berkeley, a second Bachelor’s in Cherokee Education, from the Northeastern State University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology: With a Depth Emphasis from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA.He is honored to serve on the Boards of Directors of the Bond Street Theatre, which uses theater to teach conflict resolution and resilience in areas of instability around the world, Restaurant After Hours, addressing the mental health crisis in the restaurant industry, and the student-led racial literacy and justice organization CHOOSE, as well as on the Advisory Board of Fragments Theater, a youth theater company in Palestine. He is also on the Organizing Committee of the Queens International Night Market, and has been an adjunct Chef Instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City, and adjunct lecturer at the City College of New York and an instructor with the Experiment in International Living’s Leadership Institute.

Special thanks to Seton Rossini for design and illustration, Muntaser Al Rajabi for design and labels, Jacquelyn Morris for our original logo and label design and SOGA Design Collective for stunning product photography.Jake started his career in packaging development and has subsequently branched out to broader supply chain roles. First gaining experience working with large CPG companies, and then moving to smaller food companies to implement processes and build teams to support profitable and sustainable growth. Jake has a passion for the outdoors and sustainability, which he believes go hand-in-hand. After enrolling in the horticulture certificate program at the New York Botanical Garden, Jane couldn’t wait to get her hands in the dirt so she started volunteering at the Edible Schoolyard. There she found a mentor and a space to test out everything she was learning in her classes at NYBG. Shortly thereafter Jane took a position as an Americorps with the New York Restoration Project where she gained invaluable knowledge of NYC native plants and trees. Jane quickly realized her true calling was in growing food so she left NYC to try her hand working a full season on an organic vegetable farm in North Carolina. Once back in NYC and always ready to learn more, Jane decided to enroll in the NYC Farm School urban agriculture certificate program. Since completing her certification with Farm School, Jane has been farming on rooftops in NYC for the past five years. Ethan is a native New Yorker, entrepreneur and activist around food systems and social justice. He leads Burlap & Barrel’s sourcing, culinary and advocacy work. When Jane isn’t farming you can find her volunteering at the Kelly Street Community Garden near her home in the South Bronx, growing food and giving it away to community members, facilitating yoga classes, or playing with her cat Chloë. A few years later, he co-founded Sindeo, a venture-backed mortgage company that provided home loans in an open and transparent way. Sindeo raised $32m, helped its customers secure more than $500m in home loans with record-setting customer satisfaction scores. Ori took the startup from idea through acquisition. He holds a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Conflict Studies and Education and Social Change from the City University of New York, and a Master’s Degree in Violence, Conflict and Development from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. I am a self-professed eggaholic, can’t live without chili and make a mean hot-sauce. I love cooking in general but equally love eating out, especially Thai food. My bucket list includes hang-gliding and travelling to Europe and Thailand.

She worked for over a decade in health care as a surgical nurse, nurse practitioner and first assistant. While she occasionally misses the operating room, she is thoroughly enjoying the current ride.

Alyssa’s love for food and agriculture began at a very young age, cooking with family and visiting her Abuelo’s campo in the Dominican Republic and her Abuela in Puerto Rico. After earning a B.S. in Environmental Policy, she spent a year in Hood River, Oregon with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working on food access and outreach programs in collaboration with community leaders, migrant workers, and farmers. From this experience she developed a passion for food sovereignty and ecological justice. This work inspired her to pursue a M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where she gained a deeper understanding of the food system and the injustices that occur across supply chains. Since graduating, she has worked on an organic vegetable farm, as an avocado supply chain manager, and is now excited to continue to create sustainable and equitable supply chains in the world of spices.Mainstream conversations around food sustainability rarely consider the people involved in growing, harvesting, transporting, processing and cooking food. Sustainability is discussed in terms of environmental impact, or the comfort of livestock providing meat, dairy or eggs.

Our customers care about cooking with exceptional ingredients. They appreciate the distinctive flavors imparted by the specific environments where our spices are grown, and they understand the importance of supporting small family farms locally and around the world.Ori’s entrepreneurial journey started in his teens, when he started a business (poorly) DJ’ing parties. Many other entrepreneurial initiatives followed. Ori first teamed up with Ethan to start Guerrilla Ice Cream, an activist ice cream cart that received a frenzy of media attention, in 2010.

Bayley grew up with a dad who cooked dinner every night and parents who published a healthy cooking/eating magazine, and she’s always been drawn to the world of spices. From 2011-2013, she lived in Hangzhou, China, with her family, and traveled all over Asia. She’s also spent time in Central America and Mexico, where tacos al pastor featured heavily. She speaks Spanish and a little Mandarin. Her favorite food is Uyghur hand-cut noodles with lamb, and her spices are the warm baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and ginger).

Alyssa currently lives in Boston, where she was born and raised. She loves to travel every chance she gets, especially to taste new flavors. Outside of work you can find her cooking, playing guitar, gardening, hiking with her energetic cattle dog and spending time with family and friends.

Ori’s family moved to Baltimore, Maryland from Israel when he was 5 years old. He developed a love of all things food as a kid, learning to cook Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes from his parents. He firmly believes that tahini can improve most dishes.Burlap & Barrel sources our spices directly from farmer cooperatives and small farms, bypassing brokers and middlemen who drive prices up and quality down.

Kathryn is a counselor, farmer and indigenous language activist. She has worked as a researcher on the organic farm project at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and on organic farms in Sunol, CA. She had a whole life in the Bay Area, in California, which she left to become a language activist and farmer in Oklahoma where she worked growing her tribe’s traditional plants and crops for their heritage seed program.Jenny loves to travel and has a passion for photography and all things creative. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and trying new foods, has a weakness for a good book, and feels most at home while outdoors hiking, gardening or in the ocean (preferably in a good sunbeam). She will rarely turn down the opportunity to learn anything new and never turns down a fried egg or anything spicy.Hiking and rock climbing are his pursuits of joy. Traveling and trying new foods are an essential part of his life. Jake grew up in Michigan, landed on the East Coast after graduating from Michigan State, and now proudly considers himself a New Yorker.Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation building new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent and traceable. Read our latest annual Social Impact Report here.

We believe that the standard measures of sustainability must evolve to consider the conditions in which the farmers who drive global food supply chains earn their livelihoods. Single origin ingredients draw attention to the unique environments in which incredible ingredients grow and to the farmers with the expertise and commitment to grow them well.

We’re a small and scrappy team, supported by our network of partner farmers around the world. Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected] to Virginia in 2006, got married, started a family, mellowed quite a bit as a stay-at-home mum for more than a decade to a son, a daughter, a chatty parrot, a lovebird and a large Rhodesian Ridgeback/Koon hound. My home can seem like a zoo sometimes – and a forest, as I am an avid gardener, growing figs, grapes, and lots of herbs. I watch way too much food tv and am obsessed with cooking competitions! I dream of being on a cooking show, but that may never happen as I am a sloth in the kitchen lol.

She has lived in various spots throughout the United States and is currently based in Japan with her husband and two children. She holds a Master of Science from Vanderbilt University, and happily joined the Burlap & Barrel team in 2021.We visit farms and spend time with farmers, learning firsthand about the economic, social and cultural factors behind their farming methods, and we support them to improve the quality, quantity, and value of their products.

Bayley is a native Vermonter living in southern California. She’s a self-taught home cook who discovered Burlap & Barrel after a transformative taste of Zanzibar Black Peppercorns. In her kitchen experiments, she leans heavily on Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (claim to fame: she’s quoted as a reader-fan in the inside cover of the new yellow edition). She loves to travel and taste new tastes.Our Founding Board Members are Burlap & Barrel’s advisors, promoters and guides. Collectively, they’ve lived in dozens of countries and speak a whole lot of languages. Their involvement is as volunteers and they receive no payment nor hold any financial stake in the company. We’re so grateful for their guidance and support.Originally hailing from Little Rock, Arkansas Jane has spent the better part of the past decade diving deep into the world of horticulture and urban agriculture through various training programs all around New York City.She is a food lover by birth and a butcher and salumi-maker by trade. She worked as a butcher and production manager in San Francisco for six years before deciding she wanted a more holistic understanding of salumi-making and traveled to Tuscany to work on an organic farm. There she participated in all aspects of raising, slaughtering, butchering and preserving the Italian heritage hogs before coming back to San Francisco and applying her skills in the restaurant industry. Originally from Oregon, Ren grew up with an unmanicured garden where flowers, herbs and vegetables intermingled with an incredible cook mother and a father who has a miraculously green thumb. As a result, her love of food started at a young age and has not faded since. Born and raised in New England, Jennifer (Jenny) has consistently been on the move since early adulthood, doing her best to experience all the world has to teach.

The commodity spice industry focuses on a limited set of spices, and grades those spices using outdated measurements largely unrelated to flavor and quality. We work with our partner farmers to identify unique varietals that are often overlooked by the industry – as well as valuable byproducts – to maximize their earnings.The short answer is: you shouldn’t! Spices are for cooking, not for storing. Try to keep them in an area where you can see them while you’re cooking, ideally within arm’s reach.

Our standards are higher than the FDA’s recommendations across the board. If the preliminary test results don’t meet our standards, we sterilize the spices using either steam sterilization or an ETO treatment. We never irradiate any of our spices. Following the sterilization, we test the spices again, and if ETO was used, we allow for an off-gassing period of at least a week (often 2+ weeks) before packing. ETO is not an ideal solution, but we find that steam sterilization reduces the flavor and intensity of our spices, so our goal is to remove all possibility of contamination in the supply chain and therefore avoid the need for any sterilization treatment at all. COAs are available on request; please email Ethan ([email protected]) for more info or questions about our food safety procedures.

Great question. Spice supply chains have historically been opaque and virtually impossible to trace back to the farmer, and as a result, spices have been at the center of several food safety crises in recent years. That’s why we take the food safety aspects of our supply chain incredibly seriously.We travel around the world to meet expert farmers who grow the most interesting, unique spices, and set them up to export for themselves, which most of them have never done before. We’re very, very selective about the spices we source, which is why the best restaurants in the country use our spices: Eleven Madison Park, Blue Hill, Chez Panisse, Jean Georges, and many, many others. Most supermarket spices have spent several years in transit, in warehouses and distribution centers, and on the store’s shelves, and any beautiful flavors and aromas they once had are largely a thing of the past. Commodity spices have traded hands 15+ times and most have taken YEARS (yes, years) en route to your supermarket. There is virtually no chance of cross-contamination with any non-Kosher products or ingredients. We do not use any anti-caking or flow agents, which would not be considered Kosher.Spices are a beautiful way of adding flavor, aroma and color to your cooking. We like the idea of experimenting as much as possible with your spices. Our spices also tend to be more flavorful than your regular grocery store spices. Start with a little less than your recipes recommend and taste from there.

While Ori and Ethan are based in New York City, we’re a remote company, meaning that our team is spread out across the country, in California, Arkansas, Colorado, Japan, Virgina and New York.We’re so proud of the spices that we source that we make a 100% quality guarantee. If any of our spices don’t meet your standards, or if anything else went wrong with your order, please let us know and we’ll make it right. We’re a small company, and sourcing beautiful spices is our passion as well as our job, so we’re only happy when you’re happy!

We manage the entire supply chain for our products, including sourcing directly from partner farmers, and our spices are stored and packed in facilities that do not accept animal products of any kind, including meat, dairy or seafood.As a Public Benefit Corporation, it’s important to us that the spice supply chain works for everyone. We do our best to keep our prices reasonable while still paying our partner farmers a significant premium over the commodity price for their spices. If you can’t afford to purchase our spices, please get in touch and we’ll do what we can to help out.As a small food company, we are not able to handle returns. If there is an issue with your order or you are unable to use your new spices, please contact us via this form and we will help resolve it.Other spices are…well, from many different origins. Often, the spices you’re buying are sourced from many, many different farms from a handful of countries. High- and low-quality lots are blended together for consistency and cost, and so much of the flavor is lost along the way.

Why yes, Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation. It’s a new kind of legal business entity that values public benefit alongside profits. Our social mission is written into our articles of incorporation and is legally binding, and we’re also obligated to publish annual impact reports showing progress towards our stated public benefit.Organic certifications are expensive — often too expensive for an independent farmer to be able to afford. As we grow, we’re working with our partner farmers to get them certifications and develop new capabilities (on-site grinding, growing specific types of spices) to help improve the value of their spices and allow them to get a bigger cut of the price of the final product.

Ori and Ethan started building a direct trade model that connected spice farmers in Zanzibar and Guatemala with home cooks and professional chefs in the US, and Burlap & Barrel has grown from there! Our spices are naturally free of gluten, and since we manage the entire supply chain, we know that there’s virtually no chance of cross-contamination with any products containing gluten. Our spices are single origin, sourced directly from small farms around the world. Most of our spices are organically grown; some of our partner farmers are certified organic and some are not. They are harvested by hand, dried naturally and transported whole to preserve freshness. Our spices non-GMO, non-irradiated and naturally free of gluten, allergens and any additives, colorings, anti-caking agents and other fillers.

All of our spices are parve / pareve and almost all of our spices are Kosher without supervision. Spices (like vegetables and other plants) are inherently Kosher and do not require a specific Kosher certification as per the Orthodox Union & Chicago Rabbinical Council. The spices that are parve without being Kosher are those that are mixed with a little bit of plant-based oil, including Black Urfa Chili, Silk Chili and Za’atar.For spices that you already have in your cabinet, a good rule of thumb is to look at the spices (Has the color faded? Are there signs of insects or mold?), smell the spices (Has it lost its aroma?), then taste a small amount (Has it lost its flavor?).

That said, we know you can’t use every spice every day, so we recommend keeping them in a dark, dry cabinet away from the heat of the stove or direct sunlight, protected from light, heat and humidity. We don’t recommend storing spices in the fridge, because condensation can build up as you take them in and out.If you want to grind your spices, a coffee grinder, a pepper mill, or a mortar and pestle is generally the way to go. We recommend a simple blade grinder, since they’re the most versatile. They can get a decent grind on just about anything you throw at them: cinnamon bark, cardamom husks, peppercorns, hibiscus flowers, etc.

Not only do we know our partner farmers personally and manage our entire supply chain from (literally) farm to table, we also look closely at their agricultural techniques and post-harvest processes and make recommendations to ensure optimal food safety. After harvesting and drying, we send a sample from every lot of every spice to an accredited 3rd-party laboratory, either in the country of origin or in the United States (or both) to create a formal Certificate of Analysis, measuring micro-biological pathogens and vectors, including E. coli, Salmonella, total/aerobic plate count, and yeast & mold.Spices don’t get better with age: the faster you use them, the better they’ll taste. Generally speaking, spices provide a good aroma and flavor for about 3 years from harvest, although it depends on the spice and the part of the plant it’s harvested from.

Our public benefit is “to promote the reduction of inequality and exploitation in food systems by connecting farmers to high-value markets, helping them access a larger share of the product value chain, and establishing long-term, mutually-beneficial trade relationships.”

Single origin means that all of our spices are capable of being traced back to a single area of production — even a single farm or cooperative of farmers. It also means that each of our spices exhibits its own unique terroir — the environment where its grown imbues a unique set of flavors and smells to the spice, similar to how grapes from France produce different wines than grapes from Argentina.You can also check any spice jar (ours or other brands’) for a “Manufacturing Date” printed on the jar or label — that’ll tell you when it was packed in the jar. If you’re more than a year or two from the manufacturing date, you’re better off replacing them with something fresher.At BoTree we are passionate purveyors of the highest quality spices. That’s why we choose single-origin spices which come from protected and designated regions. The most important thing about single origin is its traceability. With coffee, we like to know exactly where the beans come from and it’s exactly the same with spices. Blends have a bad reputation because the more you mix, the less pure they become – losing both quality and flavour. Using single-origin spices means you can experience one particular taste at its purest form, unique to that particular environment.Botree began with producing the ‘king of spices’, pepper, in the most ethical and sustainable way possible before considering expansion. We have our own farm in Kampot pepper and know exactly what it means to produce spices that are the best of their kind, organic and fair to both the environment and the people that grow them. So when we decided to expand our range we could not do anything different. All the new spices are deliciously unique, best in class, with pedigree and ethically farmed.

When searching for the world’s finest seasoning products, firstly, we ensure that spices are single-origin, and secondly, we research diligently to source the best growing regions with the perfect climate for a particular product.

Cambodia Kampot Pepper – The King of Pepper – Available in Black Red & White – In Stock in United Kingdom- Kampot Pepper UK – Kampot Pepper Direct : 100% Organic Kampot Pepper : Kampot Pepper UKBurlap originated in India. Owing to the numerous jute plants growing in India, Burlap was widely produced here. It was used for making ropes only in earlier times. The English brought the plants back to Britain by the late 1700s. Further, in Scotland, it was spun into yarn for the very first time. Jute is said to be one of the least expensive crops in the world. It is usually prominent in places with heavy monsoons. Due to this, it is grown in lowlands with heavy humidity, monsoon, and standing water. Countries like India and Bangladesh account for almost 60-80% of the global production of Hessian fabric. Apart from these countries, Nepal and Myanmar come a close second to producing this fabric. Burlap has been a significant part of the culture of Bengal even before modern clothes like the Burlap sack dress came into existence. During the 1800-1900s, the production of Burlap boomed. It was exported to the United Kingdom, where it was processed further by hand. Afterward, it was discovered that it could be processed in textile mills if treated with whale oil.During WW2, Burlap was used immensely as camouflage on the helmets of the soldiers. With time, it has also been used by artists as a substitute for canvas. The naturally strong qualities of the fiber make it a reliable pick for everyone.

Burlap is a strong natural fiber made from the jute plant. Since it’s strong and durable, it can be woven into all sorts of other clothes or craft items. Hessian cloths are usually available in natural and brown shades, but they can also be dyed to suit your needs. It is an extremely eco-friendly fabric that is biodegradable and safe for the environment.The production of Hessian cloths boomed in India, and soon they were running their looms and mass-producing it. So much so that they were exporting it to the rest of the world.Hessian cloths that are derived from the jute plant can be put to numerous
use in our lives. It is a gift from our ancestors and should be preserved at all costs. Its rich history is an example of why this fabric is so exquisite and different from others.The Burlap fabric can be a bit rough on the skin and stiffer than other fabrics. Not many prefer to wear it as dresses. However, due to evolution in technology and fashion, the hessian cloths are now suited for burlap sack dresses, pants, jackets, etc. The Burlap fabric has a rich and interesting history, nevertheless. It dates back to the late 1700s. Since then, it has undergone tremendous changes to become the fabric that it is today. It is quite unsure where the name Burlap originated from. But, the name Hessian was given to it after German soldiers who belonged to a state named Hesse. They wore uniforms made from Burlap and were known as Hessians. Since then, the Hessian fabric has been called by this name. Burlap fabric or Hessian fabric is derived from the jute plant, which makes it a natural fiber. They are often composed of jute, sisal, and cotton fibers. Their texture is coarse, and they can be made into clothes that are visibly tight or loose. The history of the burlap fabric dates back a few centuries. With the evolution of the Hessian cloths, the fabric is available in various colors, designs, and patterns now. It is slowly becoming popular with the Millenials—notably, the burlap sack dress.

“to promote the reduction of inequality and exploitation in food systems by connecting farmers to high-value markets, helping them access a larger share of the product value chain, and establishing long-term, mutually-beneficial trade relationships.”Ethan and Ori’s activism and entrepreneurial spirit seep into their business. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Burlap & Barrel’s mission is to build new food supply chains that value public benefit alongside profits. Specifically, the public benefit they aim to provide with Burlap & Barrel is:Ethan started as a chef before leaving to become a humanitarian aid worker in countries like Sierra Leone, Syria, and Afghanistan. It was in Afghanistan where Ethan met a farmer and discovered his first spice — Wild Mountain Cumin — which he brought back for his chef friends to try and they couldn’t get enough of it!

Everyone! If you are an aspiring chef, a foodie, or just someone trying to make a good dinner the whole family will like, you’ll appreciate the distinctive flavours and unique ingredients of these Burlap & Barrel spices!

Burlap & Barrel single origin spices have really changed my cooking at home. I love adding the cinnamon to my Keto Chow shakes, putting Black Urfa chili flakes on eggs, and adding paprika to my cauliflower rice! I am still finding new ways to use everything and have adopted one of Ori’s suggestions – have a base dish that I know really well, and then play around with spices to see how different combinations work. I do that with fried eggs – I’ve added Urfa Chili, Paprika, Cumin and Pepper in all different combinations to learn how to work with these new and more flavourful spices! SwitchGrocery is your source for amazing healthy, high quality foods like Burlap and Barrel that you can’t find anywhere else. We carry amazing foods for Canadians.

Burlap & Barrel spices are so much more flavourful than the spices from the grocery store and will really amp up your cooking. Since they’re single-origin, the spices really exhibit the unique flavour of the environment in which they grew — similar to how grapes from France produce different wines than grapes from California! We spoke with Ori on a recent WineTea Wednesday, and his suggestion was to start with ½ the spice you would usually use and go from there since their spices are more potent then normal.