Ben Gordon is surrounded by buckets of spices and has a three-ring notebook of recipes lying beside two large metal bowls. Unfazed by the pungent combination of aromas, the owner of Alchemy Spice Co. is beginning the two- to three-hour process of blending a spice.
Black peppercorns, Mexican oregano, thyme and more are measured and added to the bowls. After they are thoroughly mixed, Gordon runs the ingredients through a grist grinder, which he likens to a big pepper grinder. Gordon said he grinds all of his spices except those like cayenne or turmeric, which could stain the grinder.
Then the mix is bottled and labeled, ready to be sold. Gordon said about half his sales come from the Chattanooga Market, but the spice blends also are sold in several local stores and to restaurants.
Gordon bought the business two years ago, after a frustrating start to a career as a mechanical engineer. He had been laid off three times from his job, which he says was basically “pushing papers” and was not rewarding. “Now when I go to work, at the end of the day, I’ve got something to show for it and people appreciate it,” he said.
It took time during his first month to get used to all of the strong smells, but now he is almost desensitized to it. His favorite spice fragrances include smoked paprika and lavender. He works with 54 individual spices, which come in quantities of at least 50 pounds each. “Black pepper is the No. 1 used ingredient, so we get about 400 pounds of black pepper every time we order,” he said.