I spend most of my days thinking about how we talk about our blends from the outside in, how we position them, what we say about them online, how we tell the story behind them. But the conversations I learn the most from happen on the floor of our Grove Arcade store, tin in hand, with someone who's genuinely curious but not sure where to start.
Here's what I've figured out after a lot of those conversations: the fastest way to help someone find the right Spicewalla spice isn't to rattle off tasting notes. It's to ask the right questions and listen.
I have three that I always start with & they work every time.
The 3 Questions I Always Ask
1. Do you like to cook?
This one seems obvious, but the answer shapes everything that comes next.
Someone who says "yes!" and means it wants to understand the blend. Where it comes from, what makes ours different from the version they've had before, how they can use it in ways they haven't thought of yet. They want to feel excited.
The person who says "I cook, but I keep it pretty simple" needs reassurance more than anything. They don't want to feel like they're being sold something they'll struggle with. What they want to hear is: this is easy, this is delicious, this will make your weeknight dinner taste noticeably better, you don't need to do anything complicated. (Think: keep doing exactly what you're already doing, just throw this on your veg before you put it in the oven!)
And the person who laughs and says, "not really"? In my experience, they're either shopping for someone else or just starting their cooking journey. Either way, they need confidence that what's in their hand is both special and approachable. Lead with the packaging, tell them a little about where it came from, recommend a collection for more opportunities to try things in smaller quantities, and let the blends do the rest.
2. What are your favorite ingredients to cook with?
Once someone starts talking about what they actually make at home, you'll have what you need. "We do a lot of chicken" is one conversation. "I love making tacos on the weekend" is another. "I've been doing a lot of roasted vegetables lately" opens up a completely different direction.
The goal here isn't to run through a checklist. It's to listen and get a feel for someone's cooking world so you can meet them there instead of asking them to come somewhere unfamiliar.
This question also tells you how much of a stretch someone can handle. A confident home cook who clearly has opinions about their pantry? They're usually game for something unexpected. Someone who's less sure of themselves in the kitchen? Give them a classic that'll make them feel capable, not challenged.
3. Do you want something that fits right into what you know and love, or do you want to try something you wouldn't normally reach for?
This one closes the loop. It takes everything you've learned from the first two questions and tells you which direction to go.
And PS, neither answer is wrong.
Some people come in wanting a really reliable chicken seasoning that works every single time without any surprises. Others walk in specifically because they're bored with their own pantry. Both of those customers are exactly right for Spicewalla, but it's important to know which one you're talking to before you start making recommendations.
Once you've got your three answers, you have a place to start that genuinely means something to your customer. Here are a few of my favorites to put in people's hands once they've shared more about their cooking styles and preferences.
My Blend Recommendations, By Protein
For each protein, I'll give you the classic (the reliable, crowd-pleasing recommendation), a collection that works well, and a curveball. Nothing so far out there that it scares people off, but different enough to genuinely surprise them!
Chicken and Poultry
The Classic: Classic Chicken Seasoning
This is our newest blend and already the one I reach for first when someone says they cook a lot of chicken. Garlic and onion give it savory depth, cumin and a little cayenne bring warmth without making it actually spicy, and oregano and sage add just enough herbaceous quality to make it taste like you've been at it all day. The sugars caramelize when you roast or grill, and that's what gives you the golden crust people associate with a really good chicken dinner.
It works on a whole roasted bird, on thighs for a weeknight, tossed with olive oil and veggies before they go in the oven. It's also great on croutons and chicken salad...the idea that one tin has that kind of range tends to stick.
The Collection: T-Pain Wing Collection 3-Pack
This one is worth a quick explanation when you hand it over, because it's a collection rather than a single tin. Three blends: Sugar Daddy (sweet, honey-garlicky), Straight Fire (smoky, spicy), and The Juice (pineapple and jalapeño).
Each is completely different, all designed with T-Pain and Spicewalla CEO Meherwan Irani for wings but genuinely good across all chicken. Anyone who likes to grill, smoke, roast, or fry chicken, loves heat, and wants options with some personality will be glad they grabbed it. The three-tin format also makes it one of the stronger gift picks on the shelf.
The Curveball: Piri Piri
For the customer who wants heat with some complexity behind it. This Portuguese-inspired blend has paprika, ginger, cardamom, coriander, and bird's eye chilli.
The heat is real, but there's a fruitiness underneath it that keeps it from being one-note. It makes a great marinade for chicken when mixed with oil and works on pretty much everything: one reviewer uses it on poultry and seafood, another on popcorn. It's the kind of blend that people pick up for one thing and start putting on everything else.
Beef
The Classic: Carne Asada Rub
When someone tells me they cook a lot of beef, this is the first thing I hand them. It's built around real citrus (orange and lime juice powder, not artificial flavouring) and cumin with jalapeño heat.
Designed for skirt steak and fajitas, but our customers use it on everything from ribeye to burrito bowls to ground beef tacos. The bright citrus note is the thing that sets it apart from any steak rub they've tried before, and it's an easy story to tell.
Recipes worth pointing to: Carne Asada Tacos and Steak Fajitas.
The Collection: 3 Pack Ultimate BBQ Collection
Three rubs, three completely different directions: Carolina Mustard BBQ (tangy, mustard-forward), Hot Honey BBQ (sweet heat), and Sweet Hickory BBQ (deep, woodsy smokiness). For anyone who loves to grill or smoke, this is an easy grab because it covers so much ground without overlap.
The Carolina Mustard rub is worth calling out specifically. Mustard-forward BBQ is a South Carolina tradition, and the tanginess cuts through beef in a way that a straight smoky rub doesn't. It also works whisked into a salad dressing, which usually gets a reaction from people who didn't see that coming.
The Curveball: Za'atar
Za'atar is traditionally used on lamb, and that same logic translates beautifully to beef. The tartness from the sumac cuts through rich cuts in a genuinely surprising way, and the sesame adds a nutty, toasted quality that works especially well when the meat gets a good sear. Mix it with olive oil and use it as a rub on a ribeye or flank steak before it hits a hot pan or the grill. The customer who said they want to try something they'd never normally reach for is exactly who you're handing this to.
Fish and Seafood
The Classic: Chesapeake Seafood Seasoning
Like that classic seafood seasoning you buy from the grocery store, but elevated. Our Chesapeake blend has the same paprika-celery-pepper backbone people know and love, plus allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and oregano that give it more dimension than the stuff in the yellow can.
Shrimp, crab, fish, it was made for all of it. A customer who grew up on the Mid-Atlantic coast will recognize it immediately. A customer who hasn't tried it before will want to put it on everything, including homemade potato chips and a Bloody Mary, which is delicious and genuinely worth trying.
Recipe worth pointing to: Chesapeake Crab Cakes.
The Collection: 3 Pack Taco Collection
Carne Asada, Al Pastor, and Pescado Verde: three blends built around the flavours of Mexican street tacos, but all three work well beyond taco night.
The Pescado Verde is the one to highlight here. Garlicky and herby with citrus and a little kick, it was designed to mirror the flavours of a fresh salsa verde and pair with charred fish. Mix it with a neutral oil and spoon it over grilled tilapia, mahi mahi, or salmon.
Customers who pick this up for fish tend to find themselves reaching into it for everything else, too. The collection format is also a great conversation starter for anyone who hasn't cooked much Mexican food at home.
The Curveball: Harissa
For a slightly more adventurous fish cook, especially one who mentioned shrimp, salmon, or cod.
Harissa adds a smoky depth that works with fish rather than overpowering it. The easiest recommendation is to mix it with olive oil as a quick marinade or spoon it over a piece of salmon before you roast it.
Our harissa post has 18 different ways to use it, which is worth reading over if you're stocking Harissa on your shelves (or recommending it to a customer if they want to learn more).
Vegetables
The Classic: Garlic and Herb Seasoning
For the customer who wants to make their roasted vegetables noticeably better without overthinking it. Garlic and Herb is familiar in a way that feels reassuring rather than boring. The kind of thing people reach for every week because it works every time.
Broccoli, potatoes, zucchini, whatever's in the fridge. This is the recommendation for the person who said they want something that fits into what they already make.
The Collection: 10 Pack Signature Blend Collection
This is the one to reach for when a customer loves vegetables but cooks across many cuisines and wants serious range. Ten of our most beloved blends in one box!
Every single one works beautifully on vegetables in its own way, which makes this a genuinely useful pick for someone who likes to experiment. It's also the easiest conversation-starter on the shelf for a customer standing there debating between two or three tins. Why choose?
The Curveball: Citrus and Sesame Everything Seasoning
For customers who do a lot of grain bowls, roasted vegetables, or salads. Nutty and bright with a citrus edge, it makes roasted cauliflower or asparagus feel like a dish rather than a side. It also works directly on avocado, which tends to get a reaction when you mention it. This is one of the blends that feels like a discovery. People don't come in knowing they want it, but they leave glad they found it.
The Sale Is in the Listen
The most useful thing you can bring to a Spicewalla conversation isn't knowing every blend's flavour profile by heart. It's genuine curiosity about the person in front of you.
Ask those three questions, really pay attention to what people share, and then trust the blends to do their thing. When customers feel heard, they trust the recommendation. And when they trust the recommendation, they go home, make dinner, and come back.
That's the whole thing, friends.
Our team is always here if you want to talk through what your customers are gravitating toward, what to keep front and center for the season, or which blends we'd suggest pairing for a display. We're in your corner and are so grateful to have you in ours.
Spread love, cook food!
Cara Manning, Spicewalla's Director of Marketing