Penzeys Spices facts for kids
| Private | |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | William T. Penzey Jr. |
| Headquarters |
,
U.S.
|
|
Number of locations
|
49 |
| Services | Spice retailer |
Penzeys Spices is a company in the United States that sells spices. You can buy their spices in stores, through mail order (getting things by mail), or online. Their main office is in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
Contents
Company History
How Penzeys Spices Started
The story of Penzeys Spices began in 1957. William Penzey Sr. and Ruth Ann Penzey opened a business. They sold coffee and spices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their company became known as The Spice House.
Their son, William Penzey Jr., who people called Bill, started working there when he was young. Over time, The Spice House began to focus mostly on selling spices.
Growing the Business
In 1986, when Bill Penzey Jr. was 22, he started his own business. He began selling spices through a catalog. This meant people could order spices from a book and have them sent to their homes.
His business grew steadily. In 1994, Penzeys opened its very first store. By 2013, there were 69 Penzeys stores across North America.
Changes in Store Locations
In 2012, Penzeys had 67 stores in 29 different states. In March 2020, the company announced that some stores would close. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By June 2021, the number of Penzeys stores had gone down to 53.
Company's Public Statements
Penzeys Spices is known for sharing its views on social and political topics. The company's CEO, Bill Penzey, has often used company emails and its website to express his opinions.
Newsletter Statements
In January 2022, Bill Penzey sent an email to customers. He announced a sale weekend that was connected to a national holiday. In the email, he made strong statements about a major political party in the U.S. He mentioned issues like voting rules in certain states.
This email caused a lot of discussion. About 40,000 people unsubscribed from the company's newsletter. However, Bill Penzey also said that 30,000 new people signed up for the newsletter.
He made similar strong statements in another email. This email was sent on the first anniversary of an event that happened at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. In that message, he called a political party a "threat to this country."
Other Criticisms
The company has also received criticism from some customers and groups. This happened because of posts they made about a conflict in another part of the world.
In 2024, a presidential candidate named Kamala Harris visited a Penzeys store in Pittsburgh. This visit also drew attention from people with different political views.
