Spices and seasoning

Blending spices, and selling them in a jar

Updated October 2026

On this page10

The spice itself Getting started From whole to jar Blending, properly What goes wrong Jars and closures Selling it Growing the operation Tools and directories Beyond the jar

From what you are actually buying and how grinding destroys a third of it, through a blend that comes out the same every time, to a labeled jar that is legal in your state and worth what you charge.

91 of 91 written. Every page names its source or says it has none.

The spice itself

What you are actually buying, and what destroys it.

Whole or ground Volatile oil is the product Moisture, and what it does What ASTA cleanliness specifies Mesh and particle size Bulk density and the half empty jar Color, and what fading tells you Steam, irradiation and fumigation Storing your unpacked stock

Getting started

Before anything is ordered.

Is this for you at all What the money actually costs What the time actually costs Where the spice comes from What to buy before you start What the first run looks like Where the work happens What your locality allows What protects the maker Turning a recipe into a product Naming and trademark

From whole to jar

The process, in order.

Receiving and checking a delivery Drying, if you dry your own Cleaning and sifting Grinding Blending Letting a blend rest Filling by weight Sealing Labeling the jar How big a batch to make

Blending, properly

The part that is actually yours.

Why a blend is the hardest thing you make Writing a formula you can repeat Scaling a formula without drifting Judging a blend against the last one Grind consistency across a batch Blends separating after they are mixed Recording a blend so it survives you When an ingredient change forces a reformulation

What goes wrong

Named failures, and which are yours.

Caking It picked up moisture in the jar It smells of nothing after four months Color faded on the shelf The sifter clogs Net weight drifting between jars One spice taking on another What lives in dry stock Failing a defect action level Adulteration, and the turmeric problem

Jars and closures

Where the container decision lives.

What size jar Glass or plastic Caps, sifters and what actually seals How full to fill it Filling without a machine Getting a label to stay on Sealing and shrink Tamper evidence How it looks on a shelf Bulk and refill formats Shipping it by the case When stock goes off-condition

Selling it

Labels, channels and the rules that decide them.

What federal law requires on the label What you may legally call it The grade buyers ask about How to price Selling at market Selling online Selling wholesale The cottage or exemption regime The state-by-state answer Insurance, and what your policy excludes Who you buy from Where the practitioners are

Growing the operation

What breaks first, and in what order.

Making more of it Making jar 400 match jar 1 Equipment at the next size What you have to write down Having somebody else make it The copacking contract The first person you pay

Tools and directories

Things to use rather than read.

The two measurements that decide a batch How much you will actually get Working out what to charge When it pays for itself Everything that has to be on the label The batch log Who regulates you, and when The words, in the order you meet them

Beyond the jar

The obvious second products.

Rubs, the obvious second product Grinders and refills Gift sets and collections Making it for somebody else