Lucia Cleveland started The Spice Hunter in a spare bedroom in her home on the Central Coast of California in 1980. “When I started, what gourmet products you found in the grocery store were things like canned snails on top of the freezer case,” said Cleveland.

She first became interested in spices while using them to enhance the flavor of the bland mac & cheese diet she endured on backpacking trips. A biology major in college, Cleveland was working at the time testing the quality of well water. Still curious about spices, she set up a table in her spare bedroom to start experimenting.

The very first item she made was Bouquets Garnis, which are tiny balls of spices wrapped by hand.

Always experimenting, Cleveland sought to create authentic blends, items that the average American might never have tried.

“At the time, Italian Seasoning was really pizza seasoning, very strong with Oregano. I wanted to create a more authentic blend with more Basil, like you would find in Italy,” said Cleveland.

She developed a collection of 12 spices. She later sold simmering potpourri, which was the top seller at one time. Early distribution was in kitchen shops, where The Spice Hunter items often were used for in-store cooking demonstrations. From the beginning, her products were All Natural.

Three years into the venture, Cleveland decided to quit her day job in order to be expressly dedicated to growing The Spice Hunter.