Frequently Asked Questions

Commercial customers only: food manufacturers, foodservice distributors and operators, private label brands and repackers, and other spice companies, blenders and brokers. We do not sell to consumers and we do not operate a retail store. See Who We Serve.

Stocked items are sold from one case upward, whether that is a case of foodservice containers or a single 25 lb or 50 lb bag. Custom blend runs begin at 500 lb. Private label programs have item minimums that depend on the container; typical figures are on the Private Label page. Direct container programs are quoted per shipment.

Stocked items ship from Newark or Long Beach within 48 hours of order confirmation, and often the same day. Items held in our Dallas, Chicago or Savannah forward warehouses ship the same or next day. Custom blends are typically scheduled within two weeks of specification approval. Direct container programs depend on origin and transit; HELM provides a predicted availability date at booking.

Yes. Samples of stocked items are provided at no charge to qualified commercial buyers, along with the specification sheet and a representative certificate of analysis. Email inquiries@spiceadmiral.com with the item, the form and a sentence about your application.

Usually, yes. Send us your specification and we will tell you which stocked item meets it or how we would mill, blend or treat to meet it. Where a specification calls for tests or limits beyond our standard program, we add them to your item record in HELM so they are performed on every lot you receive.

We offer validated steam sterilization in-house and can arrange other validated treatments to your specification. We also sell untreated product for customers who apply their own kill step. Treatment status is declared on every specification sheet and certificate of analysis. See Microbial Reduction.

Our facilities are SQF certified and Kosher certified, and we are a certified organic handler under the USDA National Organic Program. We are FDA registered, maintain a Foreign Supplier Verification Program for every foreign supplier, and are a validated C-TPAT partner. Halal and Non-GMO Project verification are available on selected items. See Certifications and Memberships.

Yes. Every lot is linked to its exporter and origin region, and where the supplier provides it, to the farm, cooperative or collection point. Customers can look up any lot number in the Quarterdeck portal. See Traceability.

HELM is our proprietary platform for harvest forecasting, lot evaluation, logistics and market intelligence. It gives our buyers, quality staff and logistics coordinators better information sooner. It does not make purchasing decisions; a trader approves every purchase, and a quality professional dispositions every held lot. See The HELM Platform.

Quarterdeck is free for account customers. Email inquiries@spiceadmiral.com from your company address with the names and roles of the users you would like set up. Existing customers are usually live within one business day. See Quarterdeck Customer Portal.

Yes. We exchange purchase orders, acknowledgments, advance ship notices and invoices by EDI, and offer a documented REST API for customers who prefer it. Documentation is provided to account customers on request.

Yes to both. Our research and development group formulates from a flavor brief or matches an existing product, and our blending plant produces runs from 500 lb. We sign non-disclosure agreements on request and restrict access to formulations within our systems. See Custom Blending.

Credit terms are available to qualified commercial accounts after a short credit application. New accounts typically begin on prepayment or credit card for the first order while the application is processed.

Because it is simpler for you. Every inquiry to inquiries@spiceadmiral.com is logged in HELM and routed to the right person, whether that is a buyer, a quality manager or your customer service representative, and you receive a reply from a named person within one business day. You never have to guess which department to write to.